What if I told you that the Magic drafted someone who filled their biggest positional need? Or what if I told you that same player is an excellent knockdown shooter and an outstanding defender? Or what if I said that this player is an incredibly gifted player with experience playing in two high-profile sports leagues…and he’s only nineteen? Well, Orlando drafted that exact player on Thursday. And we booed him.
Franz Wagner is not a flashy selection, and the fans agreed. After Adam Silver announced the pick, fans immediately took to Twitter and Instagram to denounce the Orlando Magic for taking yet another boring, skinny, tall guy with the eighth pick, instead of the exciting James Bouknight or a safe bet like Moses Moody. As Magic fans lauded Suggs, they jeered Wagner as if he had never played a game of basketball in his life. But if that were true, then why are some of the sport’s best scouts and talent evaluators praising Orlando for taking Wagner? The answer is simple: Franz Wagner is pretty freakin’ good.
Well, he probably won’t be a superstar. Jalen Suggs, our other draft pick, is more likely to achieve such a status. But he’s still very, very good. Good enough to play professional basketball at the tender age of seventeen for Alba Berlin, a team in the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) in his home country, Germany. His play won him the BBL Best Young Player Award in 2019 and was a core part of Alba Berlin’s impressive finals run. He was not even an adult yet. This caught the attention of several NCAA colleges, but one school stood out to him: the University of Michigan. It was the same team hat his older brother Moritz led to the NCAA Championship game just a year prior. It was an easy decision for both parties to make, as Wagner became a Michigan Wolverine. Many would expect Wagner to underperform amid the bright lights of the NCAA, especially under the pressure of a major program such as Michigan. But he didn’t. In fact, he exceeded all of his expectations in his two years with the program, making the Big Ten All-Freshman Team in his first season and the Big Ten All-Second Team in his next.
But how did he achieve such high acclaim? His impeccable defense. I covered Wagner’s game in a different article on this site, and I could not overstate how good he was defensively. I still can’t. He’s very smart and knows exactly where to be at all times to disrupt any opposing possession. And I mean, any opposing possession. Wagner can tear apart pick-and-rolls like they were made out of tissue paper, he can quickly clog an open court to prevent opponents from scoring off of transitions, and he can stick on opposing ball handlers so well that he gives an additional meaning to the term, “glue guy.” But the best part about his defense is how well he utilizes his height. Wagner is listed at 6’9,” with the quickness of a guard. This can allow him to guard most positions on the court, but that may not even be the best of it. Wagner has since claimed that he has grown two inches. This means that he could effortlessly cover power forwards and even some centers. Those additional two inches could make Wagner one of the best defenders in the entire league, but either way, opponents will soon fear him whenever they find him obstructing their path to the basket.
Defense is not Wagner’s only strength. His three-point shooting, while somewhat inconsistent, adds to the Magic a skill they have notoriously needed for years. If his three-pointer doesn’t transition well to the professional level, he’s still an excellent cutter and has excellent court vision. These skills alone make him a terrific off-ball scorer, but if his three-point shot develops well, he could become even better. That combination would potentially make him a lethal catch-and-shoot player, and adding his stellar defense would make him an elite three-and-D player, a rarity for people at his size. Of course, Wagner is not a perfect player. He’s not a very strong player and his shot creation needs a little bit of work. But even with those weaknesses, Wagner still looks to be a great basketball player, especially for a team like Orlando.
As the departures of both Otto Porter and James Ennis seem inevitable, the Magic are in dire need of forwards. Wagner, as one of the better forwards in this year’s draft, fills that role almost perfectly. He will likely start his career by backing up Jonathan Isaac and Chuma Okeke, but he will immediately become a core piece in the rotation. At the very least, Franz will be a valued Magic player for years to come. He is exactly the type of player the Magic have long needed, and I’m certain that the boos we gave him on Thursday will be replaced with cheers very soon.
by Luke Scotchie