Orlando Magic have narrow path to an All-Star

Nobody expected the Orlando Magic to be in the running to be voted as a starter at the 2026 All-Star Game in Los Angeles.

The Magic are still a relatively nondescript team around the league. No one considers them a title contender, and they do not have a player who dominates the national conversation.

Orlando stepped more forward on the stage with the trade for Desmond Bane. The team has title expectations and has expectations to win a playoff series for the first time since 2010, at least.

But this team is not part of the main narrative in the league. This is not the team with a universal fan base and interest just for existing.

Those are the players who get voted on as starters. The Magic's path to an All-Star -- and even multiple All-Stars -- was likely going to come from the coaches. They were likely to come from the team's success.

That has been made clearer by the release of the first returns of All-Star voting on Monday. Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner came in 19th and 20th in the Eastern Conference (you do not vote by position this year) with a fewer than 100,000 total votes.

The Magic's two main stars are indeed very far away from starting in the All-Star Game. That is not surprising. But it is still shocking to see them so far behind the pace.

Especially since Banchero finished fifth among East forwards last year despite playing only five games before the torn oblique when the ballots closed. The Magic had no All-Stars last year as both Banchero and Wagner dealt with injuries.

It was always unlikely for the Magic to get a starter. That will leave the decision up to the coaches. The Magic certainly have a better chance there.

But the path to Los Angeles is narrow indeed.

Who is the candidate?

The biggest problem for the Orlando Magic when it comes to the All-Star Game is who would be the team's candidate for selection?

The Magic are dealing with the same issues they dealt with last year with injuries. And no one player has emerged as clearly above the rest in the pecking order.

Banchero missed 10 games with a strained groin. He has fallen well short of his All-Star season in 2024 where he averaged 22.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game. He averaged more last year but simply had not played enough to earn an All-Star bid.

Banchero has struggled this year, averaging 19.9 points per game, 8.5 rebounds per game and 4.7 assists per game.

Wagner is a far more likely candidate to be an All-Star this season if the Magic get one. He is averaging 22.7 points per game (down from last year's 24.2 points per game) and has rebounded to shot 36.0 percent from three.

Wagner has missed the last nine games with a left high ankle sprain. There is no timetable for his return -- he is out of a boot and is with the team on this road trip, a good sign for his progress and his recovery process.

With just 24 games played, it is hard to envision him as an All-Star. And he would need to ramp up quickly to get in front of the coaches when he returns.

Desmond Bane might be another candidate to be an All-Star. He is averaging 19.1 points per game and shooting 34.5 percent from three, a career-low from three, but a scoring average in line with his numbers from last year. Bane is also averaging 4.5 assists per game.

There is no one standout player for the Magic right now.

The lone path to an All-Star

Voting for the starters is fairly straightforward. It is a popularity contest, and who stands out on social media and what fans are watching.

The reserves are decided by the coaches. And they have very different values.

Typically, coaches like to reward players on winning teams. They are much less likely to reward players on teams with poor records who are putting up otherwise strong numbers.

For the Magic, their path to an All-Star is very clearly pulling on those heartstrings. They need to win.

The Orlando Magic enter their New Year's Eve matinee against the Indiana Pacers at 18-15, tied for fifth in the East and 1.5 games behind the Toronto Raptors for fourth. They are two games behind the Boston Celtics for third. They are a half-game ahead of the Cleveland Cavaliers for eighth.

To say the least, if the Magic can climb into third or fourth by the time the coaches vote at the end of January, their chances for an All-Star increase.

It certainly feels possible.

The Magic play nine of their 14 games to the end of January against teams with losing records, including their next five (including Wednesday's game in Indianapolis). Despite the loss on Friday to the Charlotte Hornets, the Orlando Magic are 8-4 against teams with records worse than .500.

Not all of those games are gimmes -- the Memphis Grizzlies and Chicago Bulls are both 15-17 at the moment. But the Magic have a chance in the next four or five weeks to build their record, especially if they can get healthy.

Jalen Suggs was upgraded to QUESTIONABLE after missing the last seven games (although Desmond Bane was downgraded to QUESTIONABLE with back spasms). Franz Wagner's return should be in the makings in the next few weeks. They are expected to get Moe Wagner back from a torn ACL pretty soon too.

The Magic will need their chosen All-Star, whether that is Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner or Desmond Bane, to shine during this stretch to get the coaches' notice. But a climb up the standings would warrant some representation as a reward for the team's success.

Franz Wagner is still the favorite to reach the All-Star team.

That is also because of the format for this year's All-Star Game. The league is splitting the All-Stars into three teams -- two American-born teams and an international team. Wagner is a good candidate to be a fill-in for the international team if it is necessary to field a full team.

Even with his injury, most pundits have Wagner as one of the first players out.

That would be at Adam Silver's discretion to fill in the team. And the NBA certainly would have an interest in making sure Germany has some representation.

These honors are dependent on the Magic winning first. That is the primary goal. The wins come first, then the accolades.

That will be the Magic's path to Los Angeles this year.