What stands out in the context is the trust.

Two down, 18.9 seconds left, under the bright lights in LA Anthony Davis, a free throw shooter with a career percentage of 79.5% who had 10 of his first 11 on the line in the Magic-Lakers first 47 minutes canned, makes a few bricks give Orlando a chance to draw – or perhaps, if you feel like you’re on your way, to go for the win.

And these days? Brother, Franz Wagner did feel yourself.

Wagner calls guard Jalen Suggs for the ball screen, forcing Davis to give up the switch and letting him play one-on-one against Cam Reddish – still a big, athletic, long-limbed defender, but nowhere near the AD level, and also, crucially, a few inches shorter than Franz himself. Rhythm dribble, mid-tween, straight to the stepback – no hesitation, no hesitation, no hesitation.

He cashes out. Magical guidance. And one stop later: magical victory.

Wagner made 41 stepback 3-pointers in his first 231 games across three NBA seasons, shooting 33.1% on those high-wire act, long-distance looks. When Wagner caught Reddish’s attention on Thursday, it was his 10th in 23 attempts (43.5%) in 17 games this season – the most consistent and loudest, and one that highlights the hurdle he had to overcome.

The German attacker went into the summer with a bitter taste in his mouth. On the one hand, he had put together his strongest season as a pro, averaging 19.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game for a pleasantly surprised Magic team that won 47 games and for the first time in four made the play-offs every year. On the other hand, he had ended the campaign with a whimper, capping a season-long shooting slump – just 28.1% from 3-point land, the worst long-range mark among 181 players who launched at least 200 long balls – going 1- for-15 from the field and 0-for-5 from deep in Game 7 of Orlando’s opening-round loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The downward spiral of distance continued at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. While Wagner played a starring role for his country, averaging 18.5 points per game and helping lead Germany to the semifinals and eventually to fourth place, he made just seven of his 35 attempts from the shorter FIBA ​​three-point arc. . The consistent inconsistency has left the status of his janky jumper — one that was about league average during his rookie and sophomore seasons — looming as one of the biggest questions for a Magic team in desperate need of more shooting and offensive firepower.

That need became even more desperate on Halloween, when Wagner’s All-Star offensive partner Paolo Banchero, fresh off a breakthrough 50-point performance, was diagnosed with a torn oblique that would put him on the shelf for the foreseeable future. Suddenly doubt was a luxury Orlando couldn’t afford; If the Magic wanted to stay afloat without their leader in points, assists, touches and possessions, Wagner would have to rely on the hours of work he put in last summer to turn his weakness into a strength, and a to step forward into the spotlight that his patient, balanced, effective but small game does not always get.

Well, judging by the 37 points he just put up for the Lakers – Wagner’s fourth 30-plus point explosion of the season after putting up 11 points in his first three seasons – to go with 11 rebounds, six assists and four steal? So far so good:

The Magic have now won seven of their last eight, with the best point differential in the NBA over that span. (A friendly schedule has helped: Orlando won a five-game homestand that included visits from the injury-plagued Pelicans and 76ers, the disappointing Pacers and the basement-dwelling Wizards, before hitting the road to face a Suns team switch that Kevin Durant missed. Bradley Beal and Jusuf Nurkić.) As has been the case since Jamahl Mosley took the reins in Central Florida, Orlando’s defense is leading the way and smothered opponents to the tune of a league-low 102.2 points per 100 non-garbage-time possessions during this stretch.

But Mosley’s club does Also characterized by a near-top-10 offencedespite missing Banchero, and despite four of the six Orlando players logging at least 25 minutes a night in recent weeks — Suggs, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Anthony Black and rookie Tristan da Silva — who combined to shoot an uncanny 39-for – 146 (26.7%) from deep.

Wagner has been the beating heart of that offense, averaging 28.1 points, 6.0 rebounds and 6.9 assists in 35.4 minutes per night over the last eight games, with a true shooting percentage of .587 (in which 2 -point, 3-point and free shots are included). throw accuracy) while finishing more than 31% of Orlando’s offensive possessions with a shot attempt, foul drawn or turnover.

That’s a combination of superstar-level usage, efficiency and production that can only be achieved by piling possession after possession of hard drives into the paint, impeccable footwork and expert use of angles, soft floats and purposeful passes when shooting teammates. sacks … and, as he showed Thursday by drilling four triples in 10 attempts, the confidence to keep shooting.

“For us players, a lot of things are also mental,” Wagner told reporters after Thursday’s win. “It means a lot to me to get over the hump a bit this summer and take that into the season. I’ve come a long way since I came into the league, but last year was a struggle for me at times. Progress is never just linear; you just have to stay sober.”

While Wagner himself has to keep the balance, the results he produces can leave your mind wandering – and wondering just how good he and the Magic can be.

All told, Wagner is averaging 23.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.4 assists in 31.9 minutes per game this season, up to 35% from long range on a career-high of 6.1 attempts per match. He is one of thirteen players to average at least 23-5-5 this season – a list that includes four MVPs (Nikola Jokić, Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James, Stephen Curry), four All-NBA selections (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander , Jayson Tatum, Luka Dončić, De’Aaron Fox) and two All-Stars (teammate Banchero, Brandon Ingram).

He combines that impressive box score production with an excellent advanced statistical resume: third in the NBA in Wins Above Replacement according to Neil Paine’s Estimated RAPTOR, fifth in The BBall Index’s LEBRON metric, ninth in Value to Replacement Player, 15th in box plus-minus, 18th in player efficiency rating and 24th in win shares per 48 minutes.

It all points to the 23-year-old performing like one of the 15 or 20 best players in the NBA so far this season. Combine that with the role he has played in keeping the Magic above .500 without Banchero, and thus above contention in what looks like a truly spooky Eastern Conference, and you have an incredibly impressive start to an All-Star case – a gifted player who bounces back from failure, puts it all together and puts his team in a position to reap the rewards.

This time last year, Wagner told Jake Fischer that “the worst thing would be to look back and think I didn’t get the most out of myself.” If he keeps this up, he won’t have to worry much about it. Defense, on the other hand? They go one lot to worry; just ask Cam Reddish, JJ Redick and any other Laker who has seen up close how dangerous a confident Wagner can be.