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3 Things Franz Wagner must do to become an All-Star for the Orlando Magic

Franz Wagner is knocking on the door of becoming an All-Star with the expectation that he will reach that level as the team continues to climb. Wagner will play a key role in the Orlando Magic's development. What does he need to do to reach All-Star levels?

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Franz Wagner is still figuring out how he can best contribute to his team and grow his own game. But he is knocking on the door of becoming an All-Star. He has a clear path to get there.
Franz Wagner is still figuring out how he can best contribute to his team and grow his own game. But he is knocking on the door of becoming an All-Star. He has a clear path to get there. / Jeremy Reper-USA TODAY Sports
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There is still a sense of discovery going on with Franz Wagner.

The Orlando Magic have operated so far from the central focus of the NBA's national media that beyond Paolo Banchero and his star-making turn last year, the league is still discovering who this Magic team is.

Franz Wagner then has still been somewhat in the background. As he signed a max extension this summer, many national fans only remember his woeful Game 7 showing.

The Olympics though began to quiet some of those doubts as he got named to the All-Olympics second team and had some of the biggest highlights from the games in Paris. Still, Germany fell short of medaling, losing to Serbia in the bronze medal game.

Wagner has All-Star potential. He could be so far out of the picture at the moment that his Olympic showing—18.5 points per game and 5.8 rebounds per game—was akin to Wagner entering the stage.

This came after a relative career season where Wagner averaged 19.7 points per game, 5.3 rebounds per game and 3.7 assists per game while shooting 48.2 percent overall in the floor. That includes his much-talked-about and frustratingly low 28.1 percent shooting from three.

Even with that detraction, Wagner could be one of the breakout players in the NBA this year.

To be sure, any accolades Wagner gets this year will come because of his team's success. That is always a requirement for All-Star bids. And to be a team with two All-Stars means you are on a team at the top of the standings (or are an already-established star).

Wagner and the Magic are starting to make waves in that regard. The Magic got three players into the top 100 in NBA 2K25 with Wagner coming in at No. 43 with an 86 overall. That certainly still suggests Wagner has work to do to be an All-Star in the league.

Wagner is still working to define stardom for himself. That is part of what he was learning to do at the Olympics this summer with some of the ups and downs he had, especially in the knockout rounds.

But there is a clear path for Wagner to be an All-Star in the 2025 season. One that should have fans and Wagner eager to get going this year.

Beyond the Magic's success as a team, what will it take for Wagner to be an All-Star this year? There is plenty for him to do take the next steps as a player and enter the conversation among the best young players in the league.

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