No All-Star in Orlando
Orlando, FL— Both of the Orlando Magic’s young emerging stars Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner were not selected to the 2025 NBA All-Star team.
Banchero’s Play this Season
Paolo Banchero after playing the first five games of the season would proceed to miss the next 34 games with a torn oblique, severely hindering his chances of making the All-Star team.
Despite the injury, Banchero in 14 games this season has averaged a career-high 23.9 points, and 7.9 rebounds, and has been overall rather efficient with an 18.9 PER (player efficiency rating).
Wagner’s Play this Season
Franz Wagner had a much stronger case for being selected to the first All-Star game of his career as he helped carry the Magic alongside Jalen Suggs in the absence of Paolo Banchero.
Wagner, in the 20 games he played without Banchero averaged 26.1 points, 6.3 assists, and 6.0 rebounds while earning the first NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week award of his career, and hitting a signature game-winner on the road against the Los Angeles Lakers.
In the post-game in Philadelphia, Magic Head Coach Jamahl Mosley shouted, “All-Star” in reference to Franz and his play, prior to him going down with injury.
louder Coach Mose 🗣️🗣️
— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) December 5, 2024
ALL-STAR HIM pic.twitter.com/JfJfpVMQcY
Wagner, on the season in 28 games has put together career-highs across the board averaging 24.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and a very efficient 22.4 PER. Wagner was able to keep Orlando afloat in the Eastern Conference with a 13-7 in the absence of Banchero and had a very compelling case to make the All-Star team.
Eastern Conference Reserves
The full list of the Eastern Conference reserves includes Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, Pascal Siakiam, Tyler Herro, Damian Lillard, Jaylen Brown, and Cade Cunningham all of whom are very deserving of their selections.
2025 EAST ALL-STAR RESERVES:
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 30, 2025
⭐️ Jaylen Brown
⭐️ Pascal Siakam
⭐️ Darius Garland
⭐️ Cade Cunningham
⭐️ Evan Mobley
⭐️ Damian Lillard
⭐️ Tyler Herro pic.twitter.com/23vA3slucP
Hopefully, both Paolo and Franz can use this as extra motivation for themselves and to continue to push this team to greater heights. The Magic are now set to take on the Portland Trail Blazers this evening at the Moda Center at 10 P.M. EST.
[…] Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner played incredibly well, each finishing with 24 points, but their scoring paths were complete opposites. Banchero struggled early with just 7 points in the first half, then erupted for 17 in the second half, including 11 in the fourth on 5-of-6 shooting to fuel the rally. Wagner was the one keeping the team in the game early on, dropping 17 points in the first half, with 15 points coming in the second quarter alone, before cooling off in the second half during Banchero’s takeover to finish with 24. Their combined efforts, alongside 47.8% team shooting, powered Orlando’s late surge. […]
[…] straight 20+ point game and his sixth in his past seven, and helping to close out the win. This Magic All-Star level duo’s scoring has been the backbone of Orlando’s win streak and recent […]
[…] Before both players went down with an oblique injury that sidelined them for a significant amount of time, they were playing at such a high level and it appeared as if they were well on their way to an All-NBA roster selection. […]
[…] what this team is really capable of when they are clicking. A scorching first half, led by Franz Wagner making history and Paolo Banchero setting the tempo, allowed the Magic to make quick use of the […]
[…] Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner combining for 68 points on the night, when it mattered the most, the greatest shooter of all time, Steph Curry, propelled his team to […]
[…] their first game back from the All-Star break, Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero willed the Magic to victory. Banchero led the Magic with 36 points despite some questionable efficiency, grabbed 10 rebounds, […]
[…] Spurs have a bonafide superstar on the rise in Victor Wembanyama like the Magic have in both Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. The difference is the Spurs realize they have to surround him with All-NBA-level talented players […]