The Orlando Magic's season has so far gone as expected in terms of their standing on the win-loss column. Orlando is 2-6 through the young season and should remain near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings throughout the year. Still, Magic fans have a lot to be excited about their squad's outlook, as their performances have been a lot more encouraging than their record suggests. One player has been quite the pleasant surprise for Orlando early in this 2021-22 NBA season and that man is rookie forward Franz Wagner.

When the Magic took Wagner with the no. 8 overall pick in this year's NBA draft, many gave Orlando the side eye, doubting their selection of the Michigan standout with their second lottery pick of the evening. A sub-par showing at Summer League also led many to believe he was a reach at 8th.

So far, however, Wagner is proving that the Magic made the right choice on taking a chance on him. In fact, he has more than exceeded expectations and is even playing much better than Orlando's more talked about prized rookie, Jalen Suggs, whom they took 5th overall.

With Orlando firmly in rebuild mode, Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley did not waste time in giving his young guys all the playing time they can handle. Wagner has started all of their eight games and is playing over 32 minutes a night.

Many didn't think Wagner would be able to adapt to the NBA game right away. But so far, it has been quite the seamless transition for the 6-foot-10 wing. In eight games, Wagner is putting up impressive averages of 15.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.1 steals. His shooting splits are also off the charts with a 50.5 percent field goal shooting, 46.3 percent 3-point shooting, and a true shooting percentage of 61.1 percent.

The younger sibling of Mo Wagner certainly got everybody's attention in Orlando's most recent win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Wagner put up a career-best 28 points on 10-of-18 shooting, five 3-pointers, four rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a block. It was certainly an all-around performance from the youngster that showcased just what he is capable of doing when he is at his best.

Wagner's bread and butter for the most part has been catching and shooting from beyond the arc. His movement without the ball has also been one of the standout aspects of his game. The versatile forward has also shown flashes of being able to put the ball on the deck and creating off the bounce. As he showed in bunches during the game versus the Timberwolves, the German wing looks pretty comfortable with his dribble drives to the basket.

Aside from his scoring, Wagner has also shown, in limited opportunities, an ability to make plays for his teammates. He has great court vision and has a knack for making the right play and finding the open man.

On the defensive end, Wagner has been as good as advertised. His activity and awareness of knowing where to be on that side of the floor has stood out so far. He also has great hands when stripping the ball and is terrific when moving his feet laterally to keep in step with quicker defenders. Wagner's size and quickness makes him a versatile defender that can guard multiple positions.

Wagner may be benefiting from the absence of Jonathan Isaac, who is still recovering from a torn ACL. But with the way the 20-year old is playing so far, it might be hard for coach Jamahl Mosley to keep the youngster off the floor for too long.