Every team in EuroBasket feared a whole bunch of things when they faced Germany in the tournament. But one thing was clearly on their mind, especially for a tournament known for its professional fouling.
When Franz Wagner got the ball in the open court and a path to the basket, he was nearly unstoppable. He was going to dance his way to the rim and finish through contact. He was going to draw a foul at the least.
Wagner was a battering ram into defenses, crushing them with just the slightest opening. There was no stopping him when he had the wind behind him.
That is where Wagner is at this best. But it is an area that Wagner has attacked too infrequently for the Orlando Magic. The Magic just are not a particularly fast of transition-based team.
Everything Orlando has done in its offseason moves has had two key focus areas. The first is to improve the team's offense and spacing. The Magic finished 27th in offensive rating last year. But the Magic did not want to sacrifice its defense to improve the offense.
They found an answer to both questions in the massive addition of Desmond Bane. The question then becomes how do the Magic make the most of this new offensive potential?
Better 3-point shooting after having one of the worst shooting seasons in the last decade will be a big boost. Improved spacing should open up driving lanes in the half-court.
But the simplest way for the Magic to improve their offense is to take advantage of Wagner's biggest strength. Orlando needs to run more, play faster and get out in transition.
Last year, the Magic finished last in the league with 96.5 possessions per 48 minutes. They were 25th wth 13.8 fastbreak points per game and 26th with 17.9 transition possessions per game, according to tracking data from NBA.com and Synergy. The Magic were 24th, scoring just 1.11 points per possession in transition.
If the Magic want to improve their offense, the first place to start is by picking up the pace and playing at a much faster tempo. Better transition play is a straightforward way to rack up points.
And not only that, it will take advantage of one of the gifts of their best player. If the Magic are better in transition, their offense could take a major leap.
How the Magic play faster
The Orlando Magic now have two built in ways to play faster.
Better 3-point shooting will help the Magic play faster. It will give them more options running the floor. Instead of teams walling off the paint to prevent shots at the rim, the improved 3-point shooting should be able to spread the floor and give them more options.
Acquiring Desmond Bane was not merely about adding another spacer and shooter. They added a player who can take the ball up the court in transition, giving them another ball-handler and potential playmaker.
They also added someone who will hunt for 3-point shots instead of pushing the ball all the way downhill. Defenses cannot just sit back and wait for him to drive to the paint.
Last year, Bane shot 37.8 percent on 3.3 pull-up 3-point attempts per game according to data from Second Spectrum. That ranked seventh in the league among players with at least three such attempts per game.
Not all of those threes came in transition, of course. It is merely a signal of the kind of shooting he can provide.
In the Memphis Grizzlies' fast-paced offense last year (Memphis led the league with 28.6 transition possessions per game), Bane had plenty of opportunities in transition. That may decrease with the Magic -- they are not going to play at breakneck speed -- but Bane should be a weapon as the team speeds up.
Bane's presence is not the only shift for the Magic. The loss of Jalen Suggs last year had a major effect on the Magic, too.
Suggs often looks to push the tempo. Really more than any other player.
Last year with Suggs on the floor, the Magic played with a pace of 99.0 possessions per 48 minutes, 2.5 possessions faster than the team's overall average. That mark trailed only Moe Wagner and Gary Harris among the Magic's rotation players. Before Paolo Banchero's injury -- a small sample of five games -- the Magic played at a pace of 102.6 possessions per 48 minutes.
Suggs, for his part, scored 1.08 points per possession on 3.4 transition possessions per game last year. That trailed only Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner in transition.
Suggs could still stand to be more efficient in transition, although his 61.1 percent effective field goal percentage suggests that when he does get a shot in transition, he performs fine. Reducing turnovers reamins Suggs' biggest issue off the dribble.
But he alone will help push the pace.
Magic's transition strength
The goal for the Orlando Magic ultimately is to make life easier for their two stars -- Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. Getting out in transition will enable them to hunt and find mismatches quicker and catch defenses in cross-matches before they can get organized.
The more easy shots they can get, the better. And transition shots are notoriously easy.
Both Banchero and Wagner were excellent in transition on the rare opportunities they got them.
Wagner scored 1.15 points per possession on 4.0 transition possessions per game. Banchero scored 1.18 points per possession on 4.6 transition possessions per game.
They both bring different skills to the break. The Magic trying to get them running more only furthers those advantages.
It then just becomes a simple math equation. These points add up even if they are not a massive part of the Magic's offense. But Orlando needs all the offensive boost it can get.
As Wagner proved throughout EuroBasket. His ability to get downhill could be a game-changing facet of his game. Defenses could do nothing to slow him down except foul him and send him to the line.
Orlando has kept this part of his game somewhat under lock and key. And part of this season should be put on a renewed focus of trying to create these easier opportunities.