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

1. Prove himself on a big stage

When it comes to making the All-Star team, perception is still the reality. It is as much about a narrative and a story as it is about statistics. The fan voters certainly are focused much more on narratives and who is in the spotlight. Coaches know who is good, but they also do not have the time to watch every minute detail.

Big games matter.

And the Magic will have four of their five national TV games before the All-Star Break and before voting ends. Big games in these matchups will stick.

Just as, unfortunately, his 1-for-15 showing in Game 7 still sticks in everyone's mind.

To focus on that is to focus more on results over process. Wagner is still learning how to play in big games and how to be the star of those games. He is defining his stardom in many ways, learning when to impose himself as a scorer and when to focus more as a playmaker and playing as a playmaker.

He just has to do that in the brightest of spotlights—whether that is in the playoffs or in the Olympics.

The Magic as a whole need to play well in these games to be taken seriously as Eastern Conference contenders as they are clearly stating they want to be. Wagner has a lot to prove and the Magic as a team have a lot to prove.

To that point, Orlando as a team had the worst record among playoff teams with a 19-28 record against teams with records better than .500. The Orlando Magic had big wins—including a sweep over the Denver Nuggets and a high-profile win over the Boston Celtics in the In-Season Tournament.

But this remained a weak point. And if the Magic are going to climb the standings, it starts with winning these kinds of games.

Wagner had big games in those games too. Among his best games of the season last year were a 32-point effort in a December win over the New York Knicks at Kia Center; a 29-point, six-rebound, six-assist effort in a December loss to the Milwaukee Bucks; and 27-point efforts in the home win over the Denver Nuggets and the December loss to the Phoenix Suns.

Wagner plays plenty well against marquee opponents. But it is about doing it on the right stage.

Perception is reality, particularly when it comes to the All-Star Game. That is why hitting the 20-points-per-game threshold matters for his candidacy. It is why the Magic winning matters for his candidacy. And that is why Wagner playing well in national TV games matters.

That is what perception is built on. And that is Wagner's ticket to the game in San Francisco in February.