3 plays the Wagner-less Magic can rely on until his return

As one dynamic big wing franchise cornerstone reenters the arena, another one leaves in pain.

Paolo Banchero is back, rearing back into full form; Franz Wagner is gone and recovering to injury.

Those are the breaks of the NBA; how will Orlando respond?

Here's a few Wagner-less actions to help steady the ship for the Magic's offense until Franz' return.

1. Bane-Banchero Pick-and-Roll solves everything

Bane Magic — Dec 13, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Orlando Magic guard Desmond Bane (3) drives to the basket against the New York Knicks during the during the first half at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Desmond Bane - Paolo Banchero two-man game is one of the hardest actions to guard in basketball.

Bane is a lethal pull up shooter able to draw two on the ball, able to get to the rim, able to draw fouls downhill on drives, able to kick out to shooters and hit the roller, the dunker, the cutters with ease.

Banchero remains a heads-up short-roll playmaker at the elbow and rolling to the rim, making jump-passes to open shooters, a near-unstoppable force tank getting downhill to the rack, drawing fouls, finishing at the rim.

Combining these two opposing forces of basketball gravity create an unquantifiable force that's difficult to stop, normally needing multiple defenders to contain one of these two forces, let alone keep up with both.

Maximize both forces by getting Bane space for a pull-up three and a half-step advantage to drive on the ball, with Banchero catching the ball having already penetrated the defense at the elbow, on the move with a head of steam towards the rim, simplifying decisions to reading-and-reacting.

I asked Desmond Bane how he likes the looks this Magic team generates when Bane initiates P&R with Paolo

“It’s honestly the first time I’ve ever been in a Pick-and-Roll situation with somebody that’s feared more than me, or equally as much as me.” - Desmond Bane

@HeatMagicOnSI pic.twitter.com/5LkY2mx1Jk
— Ryan Kaminski NBA (@beyondtheRK) October 23, 2025

2. Banchero-Bane Pick-and-Pop may be just as lethal

Banchero finger roll — Dec 13, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) drives to the basket against the New York Knicks during the fourth quarter at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?

What happens when one unstoppable force meets another unstoppable force?

That's what defenses will be asking themselves every time they're asked to stop the Paolo Banchero - Desmond Bane Pick-and-Pop.

Banchero getting downhill with the ball, the big wing creator able to stop and pop for an ISO middy pull-up, drive to the rack with ease, or find the open man when needed.

Bane utilizing his off-ball relocation skills, his strong screening and slipping timing, and his ever-present off-ball 3pt shooting gravity, distracting the defense with one action, sending there eye's another direction, always aware of his catch-and-fire abilities pulling the trigger at any moment.

This is another staple action Coach Mosley's Magic can rely on any time to create good looks for Orlando.

Really, any playtype involving Paolo Banchero is a good play for Orlando, showing his versatility as an offensive hub, averaging about 0.9 PPP or more in most playtypes.

Its that plays involving Paolo downhill tend to maximize the drive-and-kick quick-decisionmaking aspects of his game, that fit with the style Orlando wants to play and tend to make Banchero's decisions as efficient for the offense as possible.

Still, even handing Banchero the ball in an ISO or Post-Up and letting him go to work at his own pace is never a bad decision, if not just as good as any other option Orlando has in the playbook.

3. Handoffs for Suggs, Bane, Black remain a must

Suggs finger roll — Dec 13, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs (4) drives to the basket on New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) during a game at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

When the Magic need to let the stars take a breather, the other perimeter players can be relied on.

Jalen Suggs, Anthony Black, and Tristan da Silva have shown enough this season to be trusted upon as scorers and offensive creators at any given moment for this offense.

Even sixth man Tyus Jones is finding his groove, as rookie Jase Richardson impresses more and more in flashes.

Orlando found something that worked with Banchero out and Wagner in: the 3-guard death lineups combined with Franz and any of the strong big man options in Wendell Carter Jr., Goga Bitadze, and Jonathan Isaac provides reliable winning results.

Now, the team will test if the same is true for Wagner out and Banchero in, which usually proves to work for any lineup Banchero is asked to carry.

Playing 3 of Orlando's relatively big guards together gives the offense 3 quick decison makers who space the floor and can score in a variety of different ways, maximizing spacing around its big wing star scorer at the four, with a strong play-finisher at the dunker spot in 4.5 or spacing the floor with full 5-out.

This as as modern as the Magic's offense has looked in a long time.