What's the next leap for Franz Wagner?

After making a major leap in scoring production in his fourth season, Franz Wagner's world came crashing down last year.

The soon-to-be 25-year-old was still productive and, when he was on the court, arguably the Magic's most complete player. But Wagner appeared in only 34 games with a nagging ankle injury after missing 37 combined games over his first four seasons.

Alas, what is the next step for Wagner entering 2026-27? We asked our panelists for their thoughts!

Major Passons:

In my opinion, Franz is already the best player on the Magic. I think he has a completeness to his game that no one else on the team possesses. This year I expect him to be an All-Star and bounce back nicely from only playing 34 games last season.

To take his game even further, he needs to get more consistent with the three-ball. I like his mechanics and the fluidity of his shot, but the consistency is lacking to be a true threat. If he gets his 3-point percentage up even just 2-3 percent more (similarly to how he started his career), he will take his game to greater heights.

Tony Mejia:

Franz Wagner was never right after rushing back to be part of history in Berlin, but he did regain enough of his form to make a difference in the first few games of the Pistons series. His combination of positional size and versatility make him a unique figure who Orlando needs to return to form if it's going to truly take off.

The ceiling for Wagner is substantial, but seeing him right physically and making teammates better is what the Magic need him to focus on following a season where he pushed his limits. As things stand, continuing to gel with Paolo Banchero is job one, so hopefully being healthy for stretches simultaneously is in the cards for them in '26-'27.

Ryan Kaminski:

The next leap for Franz Wagner is playing a full season of basketball. Wagner flashes his two-way impact every time he's ready to give his all. After missing much of the last two seasons to injury, simply getting a full season under his belt is the first step.

Franz has shown he can be a full-time primary option as a scorer and creator for this offense, an on-ball screen-using downhill driving machine and pick-and-roll maestro. Wagner bringing consistent two-way impact and efficient shot creation over a bigger sample of games is all he needs to start adding individual accolades to his resume.