Franz Wagner feeling himself against the Lakers? A dangerous development for all Magic foes

What stands out, in context, is the confidence.

Down two, 18.9 seconds left, under the bright lights in L.A. Anthony Davis, a 79.5% career free-throw shooter who’d canned 10 of his first 11 at the stripe through the first 47 minutes of Magic-Lakers, bricks a pair to give Orlando a chance to tie — or, perhaps, if you’re feeling yourself on the road, to go for the win.

And these days? Brother, Franz Wagner is feeling himself.

Wagner calls guard Jalen Suggs up for the ball screen, getting Davis to give up the switch and allowing him to go one-on-one against Cam Reddish — still a big, long-limbed, athletic defender, but not nearly on the level of AD, and also, crucially, a couple of inches shorter than Franz himself. Rhythm dribble, tween-tween, straight to the stepback — no hesitation, no second-guessing, and no doubt.

He cashes out. Magic lead. And, one stop later: Magic win.

Wagner made 41 stepback 3-pointers in his first 231 games across three NBA seasons, shooting 33.1% on those high-wire-act, long-range looks. When Wagner dotted Reddish’s eye on Thursday, it was his 10th in 23 tries (43.5%) across 17 games this season — the most consequential and loudest, and one that highlights the hurdle that he’s had to leap.

The German forward entered the summer with a bitter taste in his mouth. On one hand, he’d put together his strongest season as a pro, averaging 19.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game for a pleasant-surprise Magic team that won 47 games and made the playoffs for the first time in four years. On the other, he’d ended the campaign with a whimper, capping a season-long shooting slump — just 28.1% from 3-point land, the worst long-distance mark among 181 players who launched at least 200 long balls — by 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 from distance continued at the 2024 Paris Olympics. While Wagner played a starring role for his country, averaging a team-high 18.5 points per game and helping lead Germany to the semifinals and ultimately a fourth-place finish, he…

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Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2024-11-22 18:42:00

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