FRANZ WAGNER MICHIGAN FULL
FRANZ WAGNER MICHIGAN PROFESSIONAL
FRANZ WAGNER MICHIGAN SERIES

Wagner is an absolute conductor (see what I did there?) with the ball in his hands. There’s plenty here to attract the eyes of some of the teams that are higher up in the draft on Thursday evening.

FRANZ WAGNER MICHIGAN PROFESSIONAL

The Michigan man who hails from Germany has played both professional ball in Europe, and college ball in the United States, and he’s only 19 years old.

FRANZ WAGNER MICHIGAN FULL

Add to that his 6’ 9” frame (though recent rumors say he’s already grown to 6’ 10”) and his basketball IQ, the full picture begins to come into focus: Wagner has the potential to be an extremely effective two-way forward. In kind, the play styles coming out of the international player pool have also become more varied, where the European sharpshooter or the slow-footed big man once were the expectation, we’re beginning to see certain players who break that mold.Īt first look, Franz Wagner (brother of Orlando Magic big man, Mo Wagner) doesn’t really strike you as an athletic defensive stalwart, but when you look at his game what stands out are his defensive talents. The international game has changed drastically from where it was a decade ago, and the age old “wisdoms” of international players (European players in particular) being “soft” and unable to handle the pace and toughness of the NBA has largely been debunked. Wagner considered entering the draft that spring but elected to return to Michigan for a sophomore season - a decision that seems to have been validated by his selection in the draft.Peachtree Hoops draft coverage continues with a look at Franz Wagner out of Michigan.

FRANZ WAGNER MICHIGAN SERIES

He caught fire in the back half of the season with a series of impressive scoring performances, averaging 15.8 points over the final eight contests. 25 overall pick.ĭespite fracturing his right wrist shortly before the start of his freshman year, Wagner impressed during the COVID-shortened season, averaging 11.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.0 assists. Still, despite those circumstances, Wagner chose to play for the Wolverines - the same team his older brother, Moritz, had starred for before the Lakers drafted him in the first round of the 2018 draft with the No. Wagner arrived at Michigan in the summer of 2019 after a recruitment that was interrupted by the departure of former head coach John Beilein on the eve of Wagner's official visit to Ann Arbor. Offensively, Wagner improved drastically as a passer between his freshman and sophomore seasons, tripling his assist numbers, and showed proclivity as a secondary creator in Michigan's ball-screen heavy offense. He affected shots with his length and had impressive lateral agility for a defender his size. He was an elite defender who constantly affected opposing offenses by shutting down plays or creating turnovers with deflections. And in the process, Wagner blossomed into a highly valued NBA prospect. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament and reached the Elite Eight. This past season, Wagner was a key component of a Michigan team that won the Big Ten regular-season title, earned a No. Wagner was a second-team All-Big Ten selection by the coaches and a third-team selection by the media in 2020-21 he was also a member of the Associated Press All-Big Ten second team.

The 6-foot-9, 220-pound wing finished a standout sophomore season in 2020-21 during which he started all 28 games and averaged 12.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.0 blocks. 7 and 10 overall leading up to the draft. Wagner was commonly projected to go between Nos. 5, Orlando selected Gonzaga guard Jalen Suggs. Wagner is also the first player of coach Juwan Howard to be drafted. 8 overall pick, becoming the highest Wolverine taken since Nik Stauskas went No. The former Michigan basketball star was selected in the first round of the 2021 NBA draft with the No. View Gallery: Franz Wagner at Michigan basketball: Best photosįranz Wagner is going to the Orlando Magic.

Franz wagner michigan