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Magic Stars Paolo Banchero & Franz Wagner 'Elite Offensive Players', Says Suns Coach Frank Vogel

Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner have really taken a big leap forward for the Orlando Magic this year, and Phoenix Suns head coach Frank Vogel thinks that despite their age, they are already elite.

The Orlando Magic's play so far this season has it in the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference, and that has taken a lot of people by surprise.

The driving force behind the team's fantastic play has been the big leap forward that some of its players have taken from last season to this season, namely Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. Despite them being 21 and 22, respectively, Phoenix Suns head coach Frank Vogel said that he believes that they are already both elite in a recent interview.

Paolo Banchero Franz Wagner

Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner

"Those two guys Franz [Wagner] and Paolo [Banchero] they're elite offensive players, even though they're young players," Vogel said in his interview after shoot-around yesterday. "It's not a situation where they [Orlando] have to wait on those guys. They're doing it right now. They both came out of the gates scoring the ball at a super high rate in a variety of different ways and their versatility is very impressive."

They are both scoring 21 points per game, and they are doing so while also sharing the ball with the rest of their teammates, as both of them are averaging over four assists. The fact that Banchero and Wagner are already playing at this high of a level in their second and third years in the league, respectively, should give the Magic a lot of hope for the future of the franchise.

Banchero, Wagner, and the rest of the Magic will be back in action tonight against Vogel and his Suns in the team's first game of a four-game road trip. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET from the Footprint Center.