3 Orlando Magic takeaways from the 2024 Paris Olympics

1. Moritz Wagner has cemented his defensive gains

There was a lot of attention put on Franz Wagner throughout these Olympics among Orlando Magic fans. And for good reason, the Magic are in the Franz Wagner business for the next six years. His development is an essential storyline for the Magic and their hopes to make the playoffs and advance deeper into them.

But he was not the only player for the Magic in the Olympics or for Germany. That we did not have much to say about Mo Wagner's showing speaks to how reliable he has become.

Wagner looked like what he does in Orlando translated to Germany. And that is a success for a bench player who has had an up-and-down career. Wagner is simply reliable now.

Wagner averaged 9.8 points per game and 3.7 rebounds per game in his Olympic run. He perhaps fouled a bit too much, that is the only complaint anyone could make. He scored 15 points in the opener against Japan and then 16 in the Bronze Medal Game against Serbia.

Where Wagner really impressed though is something that we cannot quite track statistically.

Wagner's biggest gains in his time with the Magic has been on defense. And last year especially, Wagner took a significant step up defensively.

Just look at his rim protection.

According to data from Second Spectrum, Wagner gave up 75.5 percent shooting at the rim in the 2023 season, the worst mark among centers who played at least 12.0 minutes per game and appeared in 41 games.

Last year, Wagner gave up 62.6 percent shooting at the rim. No one will confuse Wagner for a great shot blocker—he had more charges with 24 (third-most in the league!) than blocks with 21. But that Wagner was a better impediment in the paint is a good sign of his defensive improvement. And it accentuates his solid and methodical offensive game.

Wagner cemented those gains during this tournament. His positioning and physicality in the paint were excellent. And he made shots difficult even if he was not a threat to rise up and block shots.

That aspect is why he is not an option to start at center for this team. But Wagner's improvement on defense makes him that much more valuable.

Like his brother, Germany was at its best with Mo Wagner on the floor. The semifinal loss to France was his only game with a negative plus-minus, and that was at -2. Maybe that is from playing against bench players and avoiding dealing with Victor Wembanyama or Nikola Jokic too much.

But clearly Wagner can hold his own defensively now. And that is a major improvement that bodes well for another strong season from the elder Wagner.