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3 players who will determine Orlando Magic's postseason outcome

The Orlando Magic have burst onto the scene and reached the Playoffs this season. They face a tough Cleveland Cavaliers team in what everyone expects to be a competitive series. Orlando is going to need some key role players to step up.

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Cole Anthony can be a dynamic scorer off the bench. The Orlando Magic will need the best version of him in the Playoffs.
Cole Anthony can be a dynamic scorer off the bench. The Orlando Magic will need the best version of him in the Playoffs. / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
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3 players who will determine Orlando Magic's postseason outcome

Franz Wagner

This kind of post is not designed for the stars and the players who are going to have the ball in their hands. This is meant to highlight the players whose sometimes inconsistent play could be the thing that tips the series one way or the other.

Franz Wagner definitely does not fall into that category. The Magic need him to score his average and probably more. And by a lot of measures, he had a career season averaging 19.7 points per game, 5.3 rebounds per game and 3.7 assists per game.

Everyone though was wringing their hands about his shooting. He had a career-worst shooting season at 28.1 percent, making his 52.5 percent effective field goal percentage impressive, especially for a non-center.

Wagner was excellent everywhere else except his shooting. But the Magic are going to need his shooting desperately in this series. They are going to need that to relieve the pressure.

Orlando is simply better with Wagner on the floor.

The Magic had a +4.3 net rating with Wagner on the floor, trailing only Jonathan Isaac and Joe Ingles. That makes sense considering that the trio shared the floor a lot with the team's bench lineups. Orlando had a 108.2 defensive rating with Wagner on the floor, again only trailing Isaac.

The Magic's quartet of Jalen Suggs, Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Wendell Carter had a net rating of +7.1 points per 100 possessions (111.0/103.9 offensive/defensive rating). The trio of Banchero, Suggs and Carter only had a +2.0 net rating (110.2/108.2).

That at least hints at the kind of impact Wagner has and what his presence does. The Magic need him as a secondary attacker and someone who can help push the pace and get easy baskets in transition. Orlando needs a second player to put pressure on the rim and that is what Wagner does.

It is not just Wagner's presence that matters in this series. He struggled against the Cleveland Cavaliers this year, averaging 16.0 points per game, 5.3 rebounds per game and 4.8 assists per game. He shot just 39.3 percent from the floor and 3 for 19 from three (15.8 percent).

That is at least some credit to Evan Mobley and his defense. He got the assignment on Wagner a lot in their matchups and he has the speed and mobility to stick with Wagner and his attacks to the basket. That is going to be one of the key matchups.

Wagner is going to be important on defense too -- which those numbers earlier hint at too. He will get a turn most likely on Donovan Mitchell at some point and the Magic should feel comfortable switching him on the perimeter.

Because Wagner struggled so much in the season series with the Cavs, his play is going to be a major factor in this series. And the Magic are going to need Wagner to find some efficiency and scoring punch to keep the pressure up in this series.

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