3 Things Franz Wagner must do to become an All-Star for the Orlando Magic
2. Diversify his attacks on drives
Franz Wagner is among the elite players in the league on drives. It is his best offensive skill and defenses have had a hard time figuring out how to keep him out of the paint without committing two people to wall him up (like France did during the Olympics semifinals).
Last year, Wagner averaged 11.6 drives per game last year according to Second Spectrum, shooting 53.6 percent on his drives and scoring 8.6 points per game (a team-high and 20th overall in the league last year).
He made 67.5 percent of his shots in the restricted area. He was an elite finisher at the basket all season.
But he has to expand his game.
He averaged only 1.0 assists per game off those drives. And Wagner took precious few mid-range jumpers, just 47 total attempts at 34.0 percent.
Wagner is a bit one-dimensional. That is one of the many things holding him back. And it only adds to the emphasis and importance of his 3-point shooting.
Advance metrics already love Wagner. He will have a strong argument to make the All-Star team as long as his counting numbers continue to increase next year and the Magic continue to compete at the top of the Eastern Conference.
That shows that for Wagner to reach his high end in scoring, he has to add something to his game. His counting stats have to start matching his advanced metrics in some way.
Orlando will put the ball in his hands a lot more, that much is clear. Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner will be on the ball a lot. They may be taking on essentially the point guard roles.
The Magic like to say they play by committee. They may not have a single player who racks up assists—Banchero led the team last year with 5.4 assists per game and Wagner was second with 3.7.
Wagner could also stand to be a better rebounder, something he put on display throughout the Olympics. He averaged only 5.3 rebounds per game.
Wagner has proven himself as a scorer. His scoring should continue to increase. But diversifying his game—both with his shot volume and selection and as a playmaker—will go a long way to proving he is at an All-Star level.