Who are the Orlando Magic's 4 most important duos for the Playoffs
Who are the Orlando Magic's 4 most important duos for the Playoffs?
Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner
+1.8 net rating, 109.0 offensive rating/107.2 defensive rating, 1,639 minutes
The first one is very obvious, especially to anyone in the Orlando Magic fan base.
But in the Playoffs, sometimes the obvious answers are still the correct ones. The obvious answers are still the most impactful. Teams can only change so much of who they are. But, young stars Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner being an obvious selection is reflective of how good they are.
Banchero has taken tremendous strides in his second year, improving in both points and rebounds going from 20.0 points per game last year to 22.5 this and from 3.7 assists to 5.4 this year.
The work put in during the offseason paid off and Banchero became the first person to make an All-Star team for Orlando in his second season since Shaquille O'Neal. Banchero constantly finds himself in rarified air among the elite young players even in league history.
Perhaps the most impressive part of Paolo Banchero's sophomore campaign has been his 25.4 percent assist rate, which leads the Magic and showcases his ability to read and pick apart defenses.
Wagner took major steps as well this year. While he did regress a bit from beyond the arc this year, he has hovered around 20 points per game all season and looked to be well on his way to an All-Star campaign of his own before his ankle injury sidelined him for nine games in January.
Wagner has improved on the boards too, going from 4.1 rebounds per game last season to 5.4 rebounds per game this year.
In addition to all of that, he has also taken major steps on the defensive end improving his already good 110.1 defensive rating from last year to 108.6 this year. He became a top 25 player in the NBA in defensive win shares at 3.1, according to Basketball-Reference.
The Magic as a team are third in the league in defensive rating.
Banchero and Wagner have grown individually and as a duo. In the 25 minutes per game they play together, opponents are shooting worse than 48 percent from the floor and Orlando's defensive rating is 107.2.
They are also major reasons Orlando has been dominant in the paint this season and average 29 points in the paint per game which is the highest paint scoring for any duo on the Magic.
In the playoffs, Banchero and Wagner will both command the utmost attention from their opponents. But when the double teams come, as they surely will, the other pair of this duo will need to be ready to finish.
Banchero and Wagner both embody the versatility this front office prioritizes. A big reason versatility is so prioritized is because in the playoffs it allows you to match up with teams more easily.
The Magic could have lineups on the floor with Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and then Jonathan Isaac or Wendell Carter at center. But they could also move Banchero to Center and Wagner to power forward and go with a smaller lineup as well. The Magic even have the option to run Banchero at point guard in some lineups.
Either Banchero or Wagner will be on the floor every minute of the playoffs -- something the Magic have not done yet with their rotations. Expect the versatility from both of them to be fully used as it is a major strength of this team.
Banchero and Wagner are undoubtedly leading the charge for this team and their executing and winning their matchups are the most critical aspect of Orlando having a good showing in the playoffs.