#FRANZ WAGNER MICHIGAN FREE#

Despite being a sophomore, the 19-year-old is actually younger than star freshmen like Barnes, Evan Mobley, and Jalen Suggs. He’s a fairly complete player with more upside than it might seem. But it’s easier for him to impact the game when his shot isn’t falling. Wagner had plenty of poor scoring nights last season, too. It’s just concerning that it happened against the best player he faced all season.

One game never tells the whole story on a prospect.

His lack of a competent jumper meant that he didn’t have a Plan B against a defender like Wagner whom he couldn’t bully inside: Yet Wagner clearly won the matchup.īarnes was a non-factor on offense, with eight points on 4-of-11 shooting and three assists on three turnovers. Barnes was the best player he faced all season and vice versa. Wagner faced off against Barnes in Michigan’s 76-58 win over Florida State in the Sweet 16. The rare matchups between them can be telling about their NBA future. Players like him are few and far between. That’s the kind of competition that players like Wagner mostly face at the NCAA level. It’s easy to look great against players who are much smaller and less athletic than you. His versatility will be even more valuable when he’s facing NBA-caliber wings each night. Playing with more talent around him will allow Wagner to go from “unassertive” to “unselfish.” Even the NBA’s worst teams have multiple players who can create their own shot and dominate the ball. He won’t need to take over games on offense.

That won’t be an issue at the next level. Wagner never never scored more than 21 points and had 11 games in just single digits. Catch him on the wrong night and he was easy to miss. He was content to be a cog in a balanced offense with two other NBA prospects in the frontcourt (senior Isaiah Livers and freshman Hunter Dickinson) and three solid NCAA guards (seniors Eli Brooks, Mike Smith, and Chaundee Brown). The biggest knock on him is that he didn’t hunt for his own shot more in college. Wagner can do a little bit of everything, from scoring to shooting, passing, rebounding, and defending. There aren’t any holes in his game, either. His feel for the game jumps off the screen: He’s a smart player who averaged more than two times as many assists (3.0 per game) as turnovers (1.3) last season. He uses the threat of his shot to attack closeouts, find the open man, and move the ball. The team that drafts Wagner won’t have that issue. Putting them together made the situation much worse than if they had been on their own. Their offense was stuck in the mud because they had too many prospects needing to improve as shooters. 8 overall picks in this year’s draft, during their last rebuild in the 2010s. That’s what happened to the Orlando Magic, who have the no. It’s too easy to pack the paint against a team with non-shooters on the perimeter. That spot is usually reserved for a center who can anchor the defense. There’s only room for one player who can’t space the floor in an NBA lineup. The problem goes beyond how good they can be individually. They may need to rebuild their jumpers from the ground up. A few mechanical tweaks may not be enough.

#FRANZ WAGNER MICHIGAN FREE#

Their ugly free throw numbers are a massive red flag. It just won’t matter if they don’t become better shooters first. They have a better chance of developing into a primary option than Wagner because they are more dynamic off the dribble. That’s the concern with Jonathan Kuminga, Scottie Barnes, and Jalen Johnson. They can’t threaten the defense off the ball, and their poor jumpers make them easier to guard with the ball in their hands. There’s no offensive role that makes sense for them in the NBA. Wings who can’t shoot are one of the most common lottery busts, from Stanley Johnson to Josh Jackson and Jarrett Culver. Outside shooting is the most important skill for those kinds of players.

Franz wagner michigan