When you ask a sports fan who there favorite player on the team is, you'd normally guess the answer is one of the team's star players.

But, ask a Magic fan at your local downtown sports pub any time over the last five years (before they all closed down) who their favorite Magic player is, and you'll get your fair share of answers declaring the loud big man roaring off the bench – Moritz Wagner.

After the conclusion of Orlando's magical 2024 season, where the team surpassed expectations and broke onto the scene with a Top-5 Defense under head coach Jamahl Mosley spearheaded by Jalen Suggs' perimeter activity and the co-star play of Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero, I polled over 120 Magic Fans with a survey of questions about the team.

Magic fans appreciated Wagner's passionate uproars to hype up the crowd after energy plays, and his hustle plays often led to results like points off turnovers, the lifeblood of the team's success.

Moe Wagner Says Goodbye

Moritz had this to say in his parting words to Magic fans and the city of Orlando, via his Instagram:

"O-Town! Thank you.
Didn't think I'd spend half my twenties in Orlando, Florida...
I'd lie, if I said I'm not a little sentimental, but that just means that it meant something. It really did.
Stay humid and see you soon.
Love M"

What "Moe" Wagner Meant to Orlando

One underrated aspect of Orlando's breakout success back in the 2023-24 season was not just their elite team defense and big wing stars, but the consistent shotcreation and role identity of its clearly defined bench unit.

Anthony and Joe Ingles would check into the game as ball-handling pick-and-roll halfcourt shot creators taking turns running the offense, driving and kicking, looking for the best shot for the team.

And the final key to that bench lineup was twofold: Jonathan Isaac throwing the uppercut as the underrated one-man destructive defensive Thor-like force paired with Moritz Wagner throwing the right hook as a pick-and-pop pump-faking closeout-attacking powerhouse-slamming powerful pick-and-roll paint presence primary offensive option.

Between the defensive anchor in Isaac, the consistent shot creation from three and the paint in Anthony and Ingles from drive-and-kicks out of pick-and-roll, and the reliable play-finishing floor-stretching offensive option in Wagner, plus a two-way guard like Gary Harris usually filling in the wing with solid D&3 connective two-way impact, the bench unit always found good floor balance, good shot creation, and good competitive behavior that matched the goals of the starters in creating turnovers and scoring off them.

They perhaps even surpassed the starters in terms of everyone knowing and buying into clearly defined roles creating consistent shot creation for the team.

Everyone on this bench unit knew where to be and what to do with roles defined as clear as day, which allowed them all to thrive as a unit on both ends of the floor. The Anthony-Ingles-Isaac-Wagner 4-man unit was a league-killer, the best 4-man unit on the team, posting a +16.6 Net Rating via databallr.

What these Net Ratings highlight is that while the Magic's starting lineup combos were beating other starting lineup combos with a Net Rating ranging from +4 to +9, where the at-the-time third team spot-starters in Anthony Black and Goga Bitadze were filling in as starters at an incredible level of impact next to Orlando's stars in Banchero, Wagner, and Suggs, it was actually the consistency of the bench unit that was the most impactful lineup as any.

Getting consistency out of individual bench players is a known challenge for NBA teams, so unlocking a bench unit that brought everything from consistent scoring production, good shot creation, team-first decision making, and huge two-way impact was an impressive feat by Mosley's Magic, and the primary offensive option of those second units was everyone aiming to get the ball to Moritz Wagner.

The Wagner Show – The Chemistry of Franz and Moritz

Franz and Moe, the Wagner Show, had real chemistry on the court as a handoff duo. Being brothers from Germany who never played much organized basketball together growing up, one might think they might have needed more time to figure each other out on the court; must have been that brotherly telepathy.

Moritz built great timing with Orlando's ball-handlers to know when to keep the ball, fake the handoff, and drive against unsuspecting defenders for powerhouse slams; Franz with a screen was already instant offense for Orlando. Unleash their brotherly chemistry with the strong Gortat-screening roller in Moritz to open the lane for Franz' finger roll finishes and paint-and-spray playmaking, and they became a tough out for any defense, especially after clearing out half the court to go 2v2.

The Wagner brothers were Orlando's Top-2 leading scorers six times early in the 2024-25 season, before injuries eventually struck them both with setbacks. Moritz Wagner was well on his way to a Sixth Man of the Year award race as one of the best, consistent bench scoring bigs in the league.

Moe Wagner has been a staple fan favorite household name in Orlando since his arrival, which actually predates Franz being drafted by Orlando.

At the time, the Magic may have slightly tipped their hand in their interest in Franz in the upcoming draft, since they signed his brother late into the season in April 2021, just three months before Draft night. Still, the signing was a resounding success, with both Wagners already becoming Magic legends in the eyes of fans, simply for what the era of the last five years means to those who root for the team.

Magic fans will always love rooting for and always feel a warm welcome for the Wagner bros. Now they'll just be rooting for Moritz to make a lot of exciting plays for the other team, as long as Franz' Magic still pull out the W in the end.

Stay humid, Moe.