3 biggest X-Factors down stretch for Orlando Magic

The playoff chase in the East is heating up, with the Orlando Magic in the thick of it. With 19 games left in the season, who is the team's biggest X-factor? Let's see what our panelists said below!

Franz Wagner:

There's one answer, because it's the biggest unknown. When does Franz Wagner come back, will his ankle hold up this time and how will he fit with Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane and Jalen Suggs. We've seen so little of the four together, and now Suggs is playing more frequently, Bane has found his three-point form and Banchero is in the midst of his best stretch of the season.

Wagner should be additive on both ends; but can the Magic blend him back in without Banchero or Bane in particular sliding too far to the background? That's the question for this final stretch, as the Magic try to escape the play-in. -- Ethan Skolnick

Franz Wagner's health could be what takes this team from good to great. While the Magic have found a true rhythm for the first time since Wagner has been out, they won't go very far in the playoffs without their full team locked in. Wagner is the player that can help the team compete against a top-tier playoff team in a seven-game series. -- Jeremy Brener

Jalen Suggs:

Jalen Suggs is the Magic’s biggest wildcard the rest of the way. When Orlando has their face of the defense and floor general on the floor, the team identity shifts closer to its best form. The only 3 players who rate higher than Suggs on defense and offense this year are NBA stars Derrick White, Chet Holmgren, and Victor Wembanyama, via Dunks and Threes EPM.

Suggs is the heart and soul of the team, the head of the snake, the point of attack screen navigator disruptor who is the key ingredient in Orlando’s “score of forced turnovers” plan of attack. Orlando running more offense through Suggs as the season goes on and as he recovers from injury has also helped stars Paolo Banchero and Desmond Bane increase their individual efficiency. The Magic go as their point guard goes. -- Ryan Kaminski

How Banchero, Bane and Wagner play -- when the latter is healthy -- is obviously important. But look no further than Suggs for being the team's best X-Factor. In games he plays, the Magic are 24-16, compared to 11-12 when he doesn't. Furthermore, Orlando owns a plus-8.6 NET when he's on the floor (88th percentile) relative to a minus-3.8 when he's not, according to Cleaning The Glass. Better yet, his 12.4 on-off differential is the fourth-best in the sport of players who have played at least 1,000 minutes.

My favorite law of statistics is that correlation doesn't equal causation, but with Suggs, it does. Suggs is incredibly critical to the team's structure and intensity defensively; his shooting can be hit-and-miss, but he's an improved playmaker and is the heartbeat of their two-way attack. -- Matt Hanifan

Anthony Black:

The Orlando Magic are currently without Anthony Black for an indefinite period as he recovers from a left lateral abdominal strain. His growth this season is the biggest X-factor for the Orlando Magic going into the playoffs.

The work Black has done behind the scenes with legendary ball-handling expert, now coach, God Shammgod, has really paid off. He jumped his scoring average from 9.4 to 15.3 points per game. He is getting to the foul line more because of it as well. His 3-point shot is still a work in progress, but due to his improved form, he is more confident, taking almost double the attempts compared to last season.

According to Databallr, his on/off split is a net +2. He makes a positive impact every time he takes the floor this season. -- Adel Burton