The Orlando Magic had a scant three representatives at All-Star Weekend in San Francisco. By the time you noticed they were there, they were done.
Anthony Black and Tristan da Silva had solid showings in their appearance at the Rising Stars Game. But their team was eliminated in the first round and they faded quickly, each scoring five points.
Once again, Mac McClung was the talk of the weekend, stealing the show with four 50s in the dunk contest for his third straight title. McClung was able to innovate and amaze, perhaps getting others to imagine a more star-studded Slam Dunk Contest.
The showcase game on Sunday was . . . it was fine.
The stars tried relatively more than they had in previous games with the shortened time to a target score of 40. The Rising Stars' presence added some extra intensity too. But the production and show surrounding the game made the whole thing a slog and provided plenty to gripe about.
It was easy to tune out.
The Magic's lack of All-Stars shows how far the team has to go. But that should not last very long.
The 2025 All-Star Game in San Francisco will likely be the last time the Magic go without an All-Star representative for a long time.
Two All-Stars
Both Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero had good cases to make the All-Star team this year. Injuries derailed their seasons and weakened their cases to make the team.
Franz Wagner still nearly made the All-Star Game despite missing 20 games with a torn right oblique. He leads the team in scoring with 25.1 points per game, including 26.7 points per game in 11 games since returning.
If Wagner did not get hurt in early December he almost certainly would have been an All-Star. Or at least Giannis Antetokounmpo's injury replacement.
Banchero himself was on his way toward an All-Star bid too. Before injuring his oblique and missing two months, he averaged 29.0 points per game with three 30-point games and a 50-point game. He also posted 8.8 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game.
Banchero displayed a complete game that could be the hub for everything. The injury derailed him completely. He has struggled to find consistency, averaging 20.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game in the 17 games since returning.
Despite playing only five games before fan voting was completed, Banchero was fourth among frontcourt players in All-Star voting and finished fifth in the final tally among players and media (he was fourth overall with the weighted scores).
Even with arguments about his efficiency and ability raging, Banchero is still a very popular player and has plenty of big moments under his belt.
There is no reason to think Banchero will not return to what he looked like earlier in the year or even in the playoffs.
And that was the point.
Last year while averaging 22.6 points per game, 6.9 rebounds per game and 5.4 assists per game on 45.5/33.9/72.5 shooting splits, Banchero was a clear All-Star. That he could up his game to 27.0 points per game, 8.6 rebounds per game and 4.0 assists per game in the playoffs spoke to the next level he could reach.
Ultimately, Banchero benefited from the Orlando Magic's success as a team. So too will Wagner and Banchero benefit from that success moving forward.
A down season, a bright future
The Orlando Magic sit in seventh in the East at the All-Star Break. That is not the growth the team imagined this season when the team proclaimed it was in the fight for fourth in the Eastern Conference and homecourt advantage in the first round.
Of course, the Magic were fourth as late as Jan. 14. It is not so far-fetched to believe that a healthy Magic team will be among the top teams in the Eastern Conference. And winning teams get All-Stars. Homecourt advantage teams get two All-Stars.
To be sure, the Magic's project goes as far as their two stars will take them.
The team as a whole sees clear flaws that need to be addressed this offseason. But nobody is discouraged in the overall project.
The Magic saw a team that was still fighting for homecourt advantage before injuries really hit the team and they had to restart from scratch as players returned. The team is still seeking its rhythm.
Orlando will be trying to salvage what it can from this season. But the team expects to be back among the top teams in the East next year. That will open the door for Banchero and Wagner to return to the All-Star Game in Los Angeles next February.
And once they grab a spot and the Magic grab a spot among the Eastern Conference's elite, they are not likely to let go.
Work to do
The Orlando Magic's run during the last six weeks has been frustrating. The team has one of the worst offenses in the league and even a slip to an above-average defense rather than an elite defense has exposed a lot of flaws. Orlando is not stacking up the wins everyone would like to see.
The Magic have their work cut out for them to close the season.
That should not derail anything the Magic are doing or the upward trajectory they are on. That still centers on their two star players.
And that is an important realization: The Magic have two All-Star players to build around.
They have the hard part completed. They found two players who can attract attention from the defense and are unselfish enough to get others involved. They have two young players to build around. That is the envy of the league.
The task for the Magic is continuing to find a philosophy and role players to accentuate and support what they do. That falls on the front office.
As bad as things seem now, it will not take much for the Magic to get back into the race for homecourt advantage. And Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner should only keep getting better.
If everything goes right, the Magic will place at least one of if not both of these players on the All-Star team for years to come—rumors of switching the game to a U.S. vs. World format only helps both with Wagner a staple on the German national team and Banchero part of the Team USA program.
The Magic were in the background and away from the spotlight this year in San Francisco. By the time the league gathers at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles next season, the Magic should be more front and center. And they are not likely to leave any time soon.