The Orlando Magic's season hung in the balance when they announced Paolo Banchero was out indefinitely with a torn right oblique. An injury like that to the team's best player could derail anyone's season. And the Magic, losing their next four games after the injury, were feeling that pain acutely.
The Magic lost, and they were not seemingly close. It felt like the team would struggle to find its way. It would have to survive and hope there was still enough time and energy when Banchero returned.
The dream of winning homecourt advantage in the Eastern Conference? That felt like a pipe dream even with the Eastern Conference struggling to produce winning teams. That would at least keep the team in the playoff hunt. But it all seemed so far away. It seemed like a long shot. Losing Banchero was that much of a gut punch.
Really, all of these doubts were pointed questions about Franz Wagner.
Nobody knew if Wagner could be the kind of player to step up into this lead role. Fans had almost been begging Wagner to be more assertive throughout his career and he seemed content even as the Magic's best or second-best player to fade into the background.
That does not even get into the frustrations of his clunker in Game 7—despite how good Wagner was in the entire playoff series.
No player probably faced more questions and doubts for this Magic team and their future than Wagner. And this moment was a question that Wagner had to answer on his own.
To say the least, the Magic winning 12 of their last 13 games with dual six-game win streaks is a product of Wagner's growth. He has taken over this team, developing into a true All-Star and putting to rest any questions or doubts about his play.
The Magic are not sitting in third in the Eastern Conference or on this crazy tear without Wagner and his efforts.
He is clearly the MVP for the first quarter of the Magic's season. But more than that, he is a player who has been pushed into stardom and is thriving in it.
Except for the basking in it. Wagner is still the quiet leader who lets his play do the talking and wants to win.
"It obviously feels great," Wagner said after the Orlando Magic's win over the Detroit Pistons. "It wouldn't mean anything though if we weren't winning these games. I think everybody the last couple of games has been stepping up. We're getting into a good rhythm and getting better with each game. Just stay level-headed and keep doing my job."
In the first quarter of the season (21 games), Wagner averaged 23.6 points per game, 5.5 rebounds per game and 5.8 assists per game. He is shooting 47.4 percent from the floor, 35.4 percent from three and 85.3 percent from the foul line.
Since Banchero's injury (including Sunday's win over the Brooklyn Nets), Wagner is averaging 25.1 points per game, 6.1 rebounds per game and 6.6 assists per game. He is shooting 45.5 percent from the floor, 32.4 percent from three and 84.4 percent from the foul line. Impressive considering his increase in volume.
Wagner has added his share of highlights with an Eastern Conference Player of the Week, a step-back 3-pointer with 2.5 seconds left to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers, and five games of 30 points or more.
Wagner will be an All-Star this year. He very much saved the season and become a true leader and engine for them.
"Just being dominant," coach Jamahl Mosley said of Franz Wagner after the win over the Detroit Pistons. "Doing whatever it takes to impact the game to make his teammates better, to score at the right time, defend the right way and make the right play which is what we said from the beginning of who this young man is."
Forced to the front
That is the biggest transformation. With Paolo Banchero out, they forced Franz Wagner to come to the forefront. They needed him to step up and take control.
Jamahl Mosley said the Orlando Magic have asked him to do something that is uncomfortable. Wagner prefers to be a supporting player. He is not someone looking to hunt for his own shot. Especially not in the mid-range.
But the injury forced Wagner into this area of discomfort. And in that discomfort came growth.
Now Wagner is learning how to impose himself on the game more consistently.
Wagner had a comfortable usage rate of 25.7 percent and took 12.8 field goal attempts per game before Banchero's injury. Since Banchero's injury, Wagner has a usage rate of 31.5 percent and averages 20.1 field goal attempts per game. The Magic are leaning on Wagner more and more.
The results have been pretty thrilling.
"I think he's just figured it out. He's figured out his scoring," Jonathan Isaac said after the win over the Detroit Pistons. "His shot has been falling. He's just piecing them together. He's found another level of confidence and we need it. Obviously, with Paolo going down, he has stepped up. He recognizes what this team needs. We need him to be aggressive and score the basketball. He has stepped into that role and he has been aggressive and confident and doing his thing."
It is not an easy thing to learn how to be a star player. There is a balance and an understanding of what the team needs. It is not merely about scoring as many points as possible. It is knowing when to impose yourself on the game, how to absorb pressure from the double teams and pressure they face and still finding the way to attack.
Wagner had to put all these pieces together as teams seemed as if they were circling around this team. Wagner had to expand parts of his game that were very rarely flexed like his mid-range game—he has made 13 of 27 mid-range jumpers so far this year, he took only 47 total mid-range jumpers all of last year.
Wagner has had to control the balance of the game in a way he never had before. He has had to read and dictate defenses in new ways. Sometimes that means he goes through a scoring binge. Sometimes that means he has to go out and get a triple-double.
It is still amazing Wagner took to the roles and responsibilities of a star so quickly. It is still something he is figuring out as successful as he has been.
"I think it is definitely a feel thing," Wagner said after the win over the Pistons. "Understanding how they are playing us. Understanding how the last couple of possessions went maybe. But also understanding my job out there is to create a good shot for the team. Sometimes that means me being really aggressive and shooting myself. Just not predetermining what the next move is and staying in that flow. A lot of that is mentally and doing my preparation before the game and how they are going to play us."
Wagner has stepped up. And the Magic would not be successful without this gain in Wagner's game.
The genie has been let out of the bottle and there is no putting it back in. The Magic need Wagner to keep this play up.
Even when Banchero returns, they are going to keep giving Wagner this responsibility even if he shares it with Banchero. Wagner will still need to have games like these even if he might get a few games off for Banchero to take over.
Orlando really does have two stars. And Wagner now has a better understanding of how and when to take over games.
In this way, Banchero's absence has been a blessing. It has unlocked this star level in Wagner. And has made the Magic look that much more dangerous.