Franz Wagner has seen a lot throughout the first four years of his NBA career.

From his rookie campaign, when the Magic only won 22 games, to the last two seasons of back-to-back playoff appearances, Wagner has played a crucial role in Orlando slowly and surely climbing the mountain of success.

Advertisement

Entering his fifth season in the league, Wagner knows this year should be different.

“Our expectations should be higher than any of the other years,” the 6-foot-10 forward said this week. “I mean, we added Desmond Bane [and] some other really good players to the roster. Talent-wise, mentality-wise, we should go into the year thinking like a contender — not cutting ourselves short and believing in the chance that we’ve got.”

Wagner remembers his immediate reaction when the Magic made a blockbuster trade with the Grizzlies to acquire the sharpshooter Bane in exchange for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony and four future first-round picks in June.

“It’s always bittersweet, those moments,” Wagner said of when he learned about the trade. “I was super excited. He’s a hell of a player. I thought right away he fits in really well into what we needed. He had a great run with Memphis.

Advertisement

“I do want to mention, though, I was a little sad to see some of the guys go,” Wagner added. “I wish them nothing but the best.”

Not only should the addition of Bane, who became the sixth-fastest player in NBA history to reach 500 3-pointers made, help bolster Orlando’s offense (which finished 27th league-wide last season) but the continued development of Wagner should play a factor as well.

Although he averaged career-highs of 24.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists, Wagner was only available for 60 games due to a torn right abdominal muscle injury suffered last December.

“Staying healthy is the main thing, not just for me but for the whole group,” Wagner said. “Offensively, finding better flow for the whole team and just making sure everybody’s in rhythm and is confident out there. If we can do those things, we’ll have a great chance.”

Advertisement

The injury impacted his game in more ways than one, but especially from beyond the arc. Before getting hurt, Wagner shot 32.1% from 3-point range, which was up from his 2023-24 mark of 28.1% from distance. After returning, however, he only shot 27.5% per night.

It all resulted in his second straight season shooting sub-30% from 3-point range, something he knows he can improve.

“I worked a lot on my 3,” Wagner said about his summer. “I thought I had stretches in EuroBasket where I shot it a lot better and I think I can be more consistent with that. So, I’m super excited to show that.”

Despite the impact of the injury last season, Wagner believes his shooting woes aren’t only physical but mental as well.

Advertisement

“Some of that work doesn’t necessarily happen on the court,” he said. “The other part of it is getting a lot of reps in, just making sure the shot feels good and fluid.”

Wagner is hoping he can help sink long-range shots on a nightly basis when the Magic travel to his home country of Germany in January. Orlando faces Memphis in Europe — first in Berlin and then in London.

It’s an opportunity he and his older brother Moe Wagner, as well as fellow German forward Tristan da Silva, aren’t taking for granted.

“It’s honestly a little surreal that we get to play a real game there,” Franz Wagner said. “Everybody and their mom is going to try to come to the game from Germany, from Europe. I’m super excited for that because I know the NBA can feel super far away for people outside the States.

Advertisement

“Hopefully there will be a lot of young kids there because those experiences go an extremely long way to getting people started with the sport and starting that fire,” he added.

Wagner is hoping he and Paolo Banchero can help light the fire of Orlando on the court as well when they seek to guide the Magic past the first round of the playoffs for the first time in over a decade.

Last season, they became the first pair of Magic teammates to each average 20-plus points in a single season since Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway in 1995-96 and just the second duo in franchise history.

But Wagner is aware it’ll take efforts from more than just the two of them. It’s why the Magic sought Bane on the trade market and signed veteran guard Tyus Jones in free agency.

Advertisement

“It’s not just about two players, but making sure everyone’s ability is maximized so that should be the focus,” Wagner said.

Jason Beede can be reached at jbeede@orlandosentinel.com