Ducklett wrote:https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/2021-nba-draft-live-grades-pick-by-pick-evaluations-in-trade-filled-night-with-a-bunch-of-high-marks/Franz Wagner was the 3rd worst grade in the 1st round, one of the worse grades being the 30th pick. As far as the top 10 goes, it was considered the worst pick.
Other places said this:
"The Magic needed help on the wings, and Wagner offers the plug-and-play kind. But did they play it too safe given their lack of blue-chip talent?
Orlando likely understands it’s not getting a star with Wagner, who doesn’t score a lot of style points and isn’t a standout in any particular area. But his all-around skills pave such a clean path to glue-guy status that his representatives should be ironing out an endorsement agreement with Elmer’s.
On offense, he brings spot-up shooting, secondary playmaking, sound decision-making and timely off-ball movement. On defense, he can diagnose plays as quickly as opponents call them out, and his instincts help him wreak havoc as an off-ball disruptor. He’s plenty polished for a 19-year-old with overseas experience and two seasons with the Wolverines.
Wagner can do a lot of things that help good teams win games. Can the Magic win enough to take advantage of them? I’m skeptical.
Grade: C+"
That's a terrible review when in context with every other thing I've seen about Franz. To begin the profile with "spot up shooting" -which is his alleged weakness (for now) and then rave about his defense and decision making and off-ball movement doesn't add up to a C+. After saturating myself with every media source, podcast, youtube video available over the last few weeks, I've arrived at the obvious conclusion that most of these jackasses know less than many of us here AND many of them don't do any homework. Biggest takeaway is the need for nobodies to become somebodies with unfounded hot takes and provocative statements delivered with false certainty...I'm not saying your specific source is a clown, just generally speaking of the population...There aren't a lot of sportswriters with PhD's in NBA Studies or continuing education to ensure their accuracy...There's a reason they ALL worship and refer to WOJ and maybe one or two others as the only legit sources of inside info. The rest are just fans trying to make a buck. I get the sense that many of us here put in more time and research than some of them (which is ridiculous but
we care for some reason)...Especially when it comes to national sources talking about less relevant small markets like us, the content is often crap.
Franz was universally considered one of the most NBA-ready, high floor guys in the draft and, therefore, a great choice for a team like GSW, whose timeline is now...I see no reason why his mature, diverse game doesn't lead to a major role this season. Given that he makes good decisions and always brings defense, he'll likely start or at least play a major role depending on Isaac's availability. I see him at SF, but also PF...just like I see Isaac and Okeke. I think that's 3 capable NBA starters. I wasn't really looking for Franz but I'm fully on board, particularly because I think Suggs is another guy who won't take 3 years to be a major contributor...Insanely good draft, I only wish we came away with a cold-blooded, high IQ floor spreader like Kispert to round it out. If Franz pushes 40% from 3 (he could), he's got Gordon Hayward potential.
