[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbzardvge799bm2 player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://wolverineswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]
It seems like just yesterday when the news broke that Franz Wagner was following in his brother Moe’s footsteps and becoming a Wolverine. And now, similar to Moe, the younger Wagner is NBA-bound.
Though he only played in Ann Arbor for two seasons, both under head coach Juwan Howard, Franz Wagner was a dynamic player, showcasing everything from suffocating defense to creative offense. As unselfish as they come, Wagner was also a mastermind when it came to dishing it out, finding the open teammate.
While his final game in maize and blue wasn’t one for the ages, as he struggled against UCLA in the Elite 8, a mixture of his achievements and potential had NBA teams salivating. As a result, Wagner withdrew from the team and entered the NBA draft with three years left of eligibility (given the NCAA free year). He bet on himself and it paid off, as he was selected with the eighth overall pick in the first round of the 2021 NBA draft by the Orlando Magic. It was the Magic’s second pick of the night, as they previously selected Jalen Suggs with the No. 5 pick.
Additionally, the Magic currently have his brother, Moe, on the roster.
[lawrence-related id=36400,36386,36384]
In his sophomore season, Wagner got better in nearly every metric over his freshman campaign, averaging 12.5 points-per-game, 6.5 rebounds-per-game, 3 assists, a block, 1.3 steals while shooting 47.7% from the floor. He averaged 34.3% from 3 as well. The knock on Wagner is that he sometimes disappeared from games, usually because he wasn’t being aggressive enough on the offensive end. But, what he gave on defense tended to make up for the occasional lack of offensive output.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHkkBf5AT48
[vertical-gallery id=30700]