What Franz Wagner Must Do To Be A Top-5 Small Forward

By improving offensively in 2026-27, the Magic star can make his case for a top-five spot.

Apr 25, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner (22) controls the ball against the Detroit Pistons in the fourth quarter during game three of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Kia Center. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The NBA currently has plenty of talented small forwards. One of them is a familiar name to Orlando Magic fans: Franz Wagner.

In a 2026-27 small forwards ranking on HoopsHype, Frank Urbina put Wagner as the eighth-best small forward.

This raises the question: What must Wagner do to be a top-five small forward in the NBA?

Wagner must have higher accuracy from deep in 2026-27

The biggest way Wagner can grow his offensive game is through a higher 3-point field goal percentage.

While his career regular-season 3-point field goal percentage is 32.4%, he had two straight regular seasons (2023-24 and 2024-25) in which he did not shoot above 30% from deep.

In the 2025-26 regular season, Wagner shot 34.5% from beyond the arc, but he only played in 34 games.

If Wagner is available for the majority of the regular season and shoots 35% or higher from deep, it will significantly help his offense.

Being a reliable 3-point shooter will make him a bigger threat from behind the arc, opening up more looks for him inside. This should reflect positively on his scoring average.

Wagner averaged his most points in the regular season (24.2 in 2024-25) on just 29.5% shooting from deep. Had he been more accurate from deep, that number would have been higher.

A higher scoring average will help Wagner enter the top five

In his five regular seasons, Wagner has only averaged above 20 points per game twice: 24.2 in 2024-25 and 20.6 in 2025-26.

His scoring average increased each season before dropping in 2025-26, although he only played in the 34 aforementioned games.

Wagner getting his offense back to that 24 points per game mark would help make his case to be a top-five small forward. It would make him a more dominant offensive presence on the court. After all, elite scorers get lots of attention. However, that alone won't help him.

Wagner must be available in the 2026-27 season as well

If Wagner has great stats in the 2026-27 season in a limited number of games, it won't drastically change the perception of him. This is especially true given his limited number of games in 2025-26. Those 34 games played were the lowest in his career.

However, if he increases his accuracy from deep and his scoring average while playing in most of the games, fans will have a large enough sample size to be confident in his production. The perception of him would likely improve.

The 2026-27 season will be a big year for the Magic. If Orlando holds their own in this tough Eastern Conference with Wagner playing well, it should earn him acknowledgement as a top-five small forward.