An NBA sensation, made in Germany

Orlando actually still had time, the young team was not necessarily considered a play-off contender. However, after the first quarter of the season in the NBA, the Magic are surprisingly among the leaders. Two German world champions have played a major part in this.

The Orlando Magic's 139-120 win over the disastrous Washington Wizards was a fitting victory and nothing special on a random Wednesday in the National Basketball Association. However, a highlight move by Jalen Suggs and Cole Anthony underlined pretty much everything you need to know about this season's surprise team: Suggs stole the ball in defense, sprinted forward and laid it off perfectly for Anthony with an alley-oop. Suggs then spread his arms wide while his team-mate, hanging in the air for seconds, spectacularly stuffed the ball through the hoop.

It was not only a tribute to the legendary poster action of the two megastars Dwyane Wade and LeBron James in the Miami Heat jersey in 2010, but also symbolized the joy of playing and the strength of this young team from Florida. Orlando is still in the top four in the Eastern Conference after eight weeks, has recently equaled the franchise record for most consecutive wins (nine) and has one of the best defenses in the entire league.

Young, fearless, aggressive - that's how head coach Jamahl Mosley's squad has presented itself in the early stages of this season. Only the title contenders Boston, Milwaukee and Philadelphia have a better record in the East, and measured against pre-season expectations, the fourth youngest team in the NBA is even more astonishing than the other Cinderella stories such as Minnesota or Oklahoma City, who have themselves caused a stir in the Western Conference.

"Wagner Bros." as key figures

There are good reasons for the turnaround of this club, which has long been one of the weakest in the league. Two of them were born in Berlin, share a flat in Orlando and helped the German national team win a sensational World Cup gold medal just a few months ago: Franz and Moritz Wagner, who followed similar paths to the NBA via ALBA Berlin and the University of Michigan - and are playing together in Orlando for the first time in their lives over a longer period of time. The proximity to each other is visibly good for both of them, as are their respective strengths in this team.

Franz, four years younger and three centimetres shorter than his big brother, has made another leap forward in his third season and has not only established himself as Orlando's most versatile pro, but has also played his way into the All-Star Game haze. He is the top scorer (20.5 points per game), third-best passer (3.8 assists per game), fourth-best rebounder (5.7 rebounds per game) and increasingly the go-to playmaker when Orlando desperately needs a basket. His versatility, mixed with an amazing basketball IQ and the calmness of a veteran, has long made him one of the biggest pillars here. "Franz is Franz! What else can I say about the kid? For me, sooner or later he'll be one of the ten best players in the world. A super guy. So versatile, so talented. It's hard to believe that he's only 22 years old. He's had a great season so far," is how national coach Gordon Herbert described the young star's performances in an interview with ntv.de.

For brother Moritz, the path to becoming a key player was much more tortuous. Traded from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Washington Wizards after his rookie season, first came the coronavirus season, then another trade to the Boston Celtics, who released him a few months later after just nine games. Orlando snapped up the contract-free Wagner for the final weeks of the 2020-21 season and finally gave him a sporting home.

Now in his sixth professional season, the older Wagner is setting new career bests for points scored, shooting percentage and efficiency. With 11.9 points per game, he is one of the best reserve big men in the league, bringing the tinder off the bench night after night - trash talk and irritating opponents included. "I'm particularly pleased for Moritz with the way he's started the new season," says Herbert. "It wasn't long ago that we didn't really know if he could stick in the NBA, but he's found the perfect situation for him in Orlando and carved out his own niche. He's coming off the bench and giving his team excellent performances. I'm very happy for him because he's such a fantastic person."

Three stars are sent off

It's been a long time since fans in the land of Mickey Mouse & Co. have been able to marvel at winning basketball. Since 2010, only Detroit, Minnesota, Sacramento and Charlotte have had fewer victories. Orlando has not been in the playoffs for four years and the last time they won a series was more than 13 years ago. The last time Orlando won nine straight games was in the 2010-11 season, when Dwight Howard, Hedo Turkoglu, Jason Richardson, Jameer Nelson and Brandon Bass were the starters and Stan van Gundy's team had just reached the Conference Finals twice in a row. In 2009, the Magic only lost in the NBA Finals to Kobe Bryant's Los Angeles Lakers.

A little less than three years ago, during the 2021 trading deadline, the decision-makers laid the foundation for a brighter future. The realization that they were trapped in the lower midfield led Jeff Weltman and John Hammond, who were in charge at the time, to trade away the three best players Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon and Evan Fournier on the same day and enter the draft. A few months later, they signed Jamahl Mosley, one of the youngest head coaches of all time. What followed was a complete realignment, both in terms of personnel and tactical play.

The front office relied on long, unselfish players at all positions, who got stuck in and showed a lot of energy. Eight of their own first-round picks are on the current Magic roster - more than any other club in the NBA. Paolo Banchero (1st pick, 2022), Franz Wagner (8th pick, 2021), Jalen Suggs (5th pick, 2021), Cole Anthony (15th pick, 2020), Jonathan Isaac (6th pick, 2017), Chuma Okeke (16th pick, 2019), Anthony Black (6th pick, 2023) and Jett Howard (11th pick, 2023) are an excellent basis for the present and future.

"Defense first" - but also fun

When Mosley took over, he put the focus on defense. He had a bell installed in the training center, which was rung whenever players put in extra effort at the back, stopped an attacker or showed particular fighting spirit. The Pavlovian effect ensured that "defense first" became part of this Magic DNA. Orlando has the third-best defense in the league this year, allowing opponents the fewest rebounds and forcing the third-most turnovers in the league. Guys like Suggs, Gary Harris, veteran Joe Ingles and shotblocker Jonathan Isaac set the tone at the back. They protect the hoop and fly across the floor to prevent free throws from half court and from the three-point line - or at least make them more difficult.

The collective is also doing a great job up front thanks to its youthful vigor and exuberance. Apart from number one pick Banchero and Franz Wagner - the only reliable 20-point scorers night in, night out - there is no one far and wide who is a constant threat. But what the Magic lack in shooters, good space allocation and smart playmakers, they make up for with their bite and attacking mentality. They relentlessly attack the zone (only two teams score more points there), exert pressure on the board and repeatedly draw fouls. Only one team gets to the free throw line more often: the Philadelphia 76ers with superstar Joel Embiid, who single-handedly makes twelve attempts a night.

The Magic players support each other, fight and bite. An honest, hard-working team that makes up for a lack of quality play with the necessary commitment. This is true not only in defense, but also in all underrated aspects of the game: hard cuts off the ball, precise and hard-hitting blocks, or disciplined jockeying for position in front of the rebound. Another trademark is the depth in the squad and the closeness of the protagonists, both on and off the court. When the regular starter at the center position, Wendell Carter Jr., broke his hand at the start of November, Moritz Wagner and Goga Bitadze stepped into the breach. The Georgian, who never really got a chance at the start of his career in Indiana, established himself as a battering ram in the zone and on the boards, while Wagner, as usual, gives Orlando powerful wings on offense thanks to his energy and scoring instincts.

Way ahead of the curve

In the second half of last year's season, the Magic showed just how much this team is capable of. After a frustrating and humiliating 5-20 start to the season, the Floridians got their act together, winning 29 of their final 57 games and ranking sixth in defensive efficiency. They continued this trend in 2023-24. You can see their steady growth. The next steps in their development: bringing more penetration and danger up front. They lack reliable playmaking and their spacing is often poor due to the lack of long-range shooters. Orlando hardly shoots any threes, takes the fewest distance shots per game and scores the second fewest in the league. This is one of the reasons why the offense is only below mediocre.

"Sometimes you work on something for a long time and the results don't come immediately," says Moritz Wagner. "We've been working on this project for three years now and we should appreciate what we've achieved. It's hard to get several wins in a row in this league. Most of us have been here for three years and the energy and our mood is still the same as when we started. The only thing that has changed is the wins. We love each other here, we play for each other and that's the kind of team you want to be part of." Almost all of the protagonists are still years away from their prime as NBA professionals. Orlando has the third youngest team in the league and has eight players in the official squad with no more than two years of professional experience. Banchero is just 21 years young, Wagner and Suggs 22, Anthony 23, Carter Jr. and Bitadze 24, Fultz 25.

Sure, the schedule has been thankful so far, the tough weeks are yet to come. But the fact that this young team has already beaten the biggest title contenders like Denver, Boston and Milwaukee shows what this squad is made of. 16 wins from the first 24 games is an excellent cushion for the tough winter months - even if the Mosley squad is unlikely to continue winning two thirds of its games. The arrow is clearly pointing upwards, the Orlando Magic have achieved respectability. "We haven't achieved anything yet," warned Moritz Wagner at the start of December after their ninth win in a row. "There are still many things we need to improve and work on. That's what good teams do. So if we want to achieve something, we have to carry on in the same way."

Read also:

The Wagner brothers, Moritz and Franz, have significantly contributed to the Orlando Magic's remarkable season, having both been instrumental in their performances and forming a strong bond.

Moritz Wagner, in particular, has seen a significant improvement in his career with the Magic, setting new personal bests in points, shooting percentage, and efficiency in his sixth professional season.

Source: www.ntv.de