After Paolo Banchero suffered an oblique injury at the end of October, many believed that the Orlando Magic’s promising start would fizzle.

Initially, these concerns materialized into reality. The Magic lost five consecutive games, beginning with their three-point loss to the Chicago Bulls where Banchero was injured.

Slowly but surely though, Orlando regrouped and they have responded with six wins in their last seven games. This has pushed their record to 9-7 on the season and into fourth place in the Eastern Conference.

Over this stretch, the Magic have banked on the ever improving Franz Wagner on offense and a stifling team effort on the defensive end.

Wagner has taken the lead for Orlando in Banchero’s absence, averaging 25.1 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 1.4 steals in their last 10 games.

The German national continues to rely on his signature shifty drives to the basket that have become a staple of his four-year NBA career. However, what makes him even more effective is that the muscle that he has built over the years now enables him to finish strong at the rim amidst contact. The added threat of his drives has freed up the rest of his game and has given him more space to operate in the midrange area. 

The 23-year-old’s season averages are now up to 22.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 1.6 steals and if he can maintain this level of play over the next few weeks, he could very well make his NBA All-Star Game debut this coming February.

This winning streak has been a team effort from the entire Magic roster though as they have stepped up collectively on the defensive end in Banchero’s absence. Over their ongoing six-game winning streak, they own a defensive rating of 97.1 which would be the best mark by far if stretched out across the month-old season. This dominant stretch has pushed their season average defensive rating to 103.9 which is second overall behind only the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The perimeter trio of Jalen Suggs, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Anthony Black are a major reason for this, but it has truly been a team effort by the entire Orlando roster.

The way that this team has responded to the loss of Banchero is extremely encouraging and if they can continue to remain afloat in the playoff race during his absence, it would not come as a surprise if they eventually end the season as one of the top seeds in the East. 

Wagner’s leap into stardom in the NBA is something that many have been awaiting, especially following back-to-back brilliant summer stints with the German national team. This, together with their much improved defense, highlight this Magic team’s bright future.