What Franz Wagner is most known for is his driving ability. There are not many players, if any, who possess better footwork and touch on drives than the 22-year-old from Germany. It helps, too, that he’s incredibly disciplined and persistent when he attacks the basket. Being 6-foot-10 adds to his uniqueness.
But what doesn’t get enough attention is Wagner’s defense. Maybe the Orlando Magic having a bunch of committed, hard-nosed defenders makes it less obvious, but there haven’t been many players throughout the entire league playing better defense than him over the last few weeks.
Since Jan. 29, a 10-game span for the Magic, opponents are shooting just 40.2 percent from the field when Wagner has contested the shot, per Second Spectrum tracking data. Among the 79 players who have contested at least 100 shots in this time, that’s the 12th lowest mark. Kevin Durant, arguably the most underrated defender in NBA history, ranks No. 1 on this list, while Rudy Gobert is second. Other notables in the top 10 include Giannis Antetokounmpo, Derrick White and Jonathan Kuminga.
Also interesting is that among those same 79 defenders, the average shot distance on the shots taken by opponents with Wagner contesting is the second furthest at 17.3 feet. Only opponents with Max Strus defending have a deeper average shot distance. What this insinuates – and the eye test backs it up – is that Wagner is often preventing opponents from getting shots up closer to the hoop with his combination of size, mobility, and technique.
Over these last 10 games combined, Wagner has contested a team-most 53 3-point shots (Second Spectrum). As a team, the Magic have held opponents to just 32.2 percent 3-point shooting when contesting the shot. That’s the second-lowest mark in this timeframe. Only opponents of the Miami Heat have shot it worse.
Something specific that makes the Magic such a great defensive team is their communication. That was again the case in Orlando’s most recent victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“I think our guys did a very good job of communicating,” head coach Jamahl Mosley said. “The emphasis was getting them off the 3-point line…That was the point of emphasis, protect the paint first, and get out to those 3-point shooters. I thought our guys did an excellent job of chasing over screens, communicating with one another where guys were coming off, and covering for one another – and that has to be the staple of our defense.”
Another big factor is their versatility. Most of Orlando’s players can guard multiple positions. That includes Wagner, who has taken on all sorts of challenges on the defensive end throughout this season.
In the last three games combined – which were against OKC, New York and Cleveland – Wagner was matched up with 22 different players on defense, per data. Among them were lead guards Jalen Brunson, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Darius Garland. Combined, they shot just 4-of-13 from the field with Wagner as the nearest defender.
In the Cavs game, he spent most of his time guarding Isaac Okoro and Caris LeVert, who combined to go 2-of-5 from the field with Wagner defending.
“The maturity that he continues to possess and show, night in and night out,” Mosley said about what he’s been seeing from Wagner. “He’s done a great job of communicating what he sees, what’s happening on the court real time.”
With the Magic currently possessing the league’s fifth-best defensive rating, there’s definitely a case to be made that at least one of their players should make an All-Defensive Team. Although he’s without a doubt one of the top 10 defenders in the league (probably top five and maybe even the best), Jonathan Isaac won’t be eligible for a spot because he’s already missed too many games. Both Jalen Suggs and Wagner, however, are two players who deserve consideration.
Only two players in Magic history have made an All-Defensive Team. Dwight Howard made the All-Defensive First Team four times and the All-Defensive Second Team once, while Horace Grant made the All-Defensive Second Team twice (also made it twice with the Bulls).