The start of the 2024-25 season was very promising for an Orlando Magic team that looked like it was on an upward trajectory. But the early injuries to Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner have prevented the Magic from getting into a rhythm, and now, they couldn't seem to bust out of the slump they're currently in. Just to make matters worse for the Magic, they were unable to send their game against the Toronto Raptors on Sunday night to overtime after Wagner missed a point-blank layup at the buzzer in what ended up being a 104-102 defeat.

As easy as it may be to blame Wagner for another horrible Magic loss, Banchero wants to deflect the blame from his running mate, saying that he shouldn't be singled out as the reason for that defeat.

“I mean, Franz isn't the reason we lost the game. That last shot, he got a great look. It just didn't go in. He makes that, you know, 99% of the time right there at the rim. So nobody should be blaming Franz. He was our leading scorer and he played well throughout the game,” Banchero said, via Fawzan Amer of The Sixth Man Show.

The past month or so has simply been brutal for the Magic, and this loss won't be doing their confidence as a team any favors. Wagner, in particular, looked very dejected in the immediate aftermath of what should be considered the worst miss of his career.

The Magic have won just nine of their 28 games since the calendar flipped to 2025, and that is with Banchero and Wagner back in the lineup. At this point, there are no easy remedies for what's ailing the Magic, especially with Jalen Suggs set to undergo knee surgery that has him out indefinitely.

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What is going on with the Magic?

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) celebrates with Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner (22) in the fourth quarter against the Toronto Raptors at KIA Center.
Jeremy Reper-Imagn Images

The Magic's offense has been so terrible since the new year began; they have only put up 105.3 points per 100 possessions from January 1 onwards, and their defense hasn't been elite enough to compensate for their major struggles to put the ball through the basket.

Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero haven't yet reached the levels they were at prior to their injury, and opponents have found it very easy to wall up the Magic's two best players considering the team's overall lack of players who can create something with the basketball from the perimeter.

A trade in the offseason may be necessary for the Magic to get their offense to respectable levels and give Wagner and Banchero more room to work with.