I see a potential star in Franz Wagner

[madvillian]

I am a hardcore Michigan fan and if you saw this playmaking and dribble drive ability well, you should work for one of the teams that had him lower than 4 or so.

He was bad against length in college and his handle was simply not good enough to run PnR against quality defense. His shot was shaky and his release a bit labored. He's fixed all of that.

Kudos to him, and of course he's stupid versatile as a defender and can in theory guard 4 positions.

[PrimeThyme]

It's easy to forget how different the college game is from a spacing perspective when compared to the NBA.

The SL is a completely different game as well, which is why I always find the sweeping judgments people make on players based on their performances during it to be hilarious. I don't think it's a coincidence whatsoever that guys like Barnes, Wagner, and Mobley are flourishing with the increased room to roam and level of talent that now surrounds them.

The Hayward comparison offensively for Wagner is probably a decent one, but I think it can't be understated what he's shown on the defensive side of things.

At 6'10 he's able to effortlessly stay in front of guards, stick forwards, and disrupt passing lanes. He also consistently beats guards/forwards off the dribble. Regardless of whether you think he can be a star or not, I can guarantee you that he will be highly coveted in the eyes of GM's for years to come with everything he brings to the table.

This was just a rockstar draft class.

[Johnny Bball]

He will be good but saying he will be a star is a reach. I mean the games aren't currently that contested vs ORL for the most, and once teams know and put a body on a player, things change a bit, so I wouldn't expect exponetial improvement or anything. Good start for sure though.

[basketballRob]

He will be good but saying he will be a star is a reach. I mean the games aren't currently that contested vs ORL for the most, and once teams know and put a body on a player, things change a bit, so I wouldn't expect exponetial improvement or anything. Good start for sure though.

Franz has a knack for taking what the defense gives him. Plus he isn't surprising anyone, teams are game planning to stop him.

The Magic have been competitive in most of the games and when we're not they usually sit Franz early.

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[BostonCouchGM]

not me, I see a terrible draft mistake given the insane talent still on the board. In 3-4 years we'll look back and use this pick to show what an inept franchise the Magic are and reason(s) why they continue to fail season after season.

[FNQ]

not me, I see a terrible draft mistake given the insane talent still on the board. In 3-4 years we'll look back and use this pick to show what an inept franchise the Magic are and reason(s) why they continue to fail season after season.

If he plateaus now he's not even a terrible draft mistake

The next 10 picks:

Bouknight - not getting any PT on a fringe playoff team
Primo - not getting any PT on a lottery team
Duarte - *unbelievably* cooled off after a solid start and is looking more like UO Duarte
Moody - not getting any PT on a playoff team
Kispert - "win-now" shooter who's shooting 24% from deep
Sengun - very solid so far in limited action
Murphy - "ready-now" type that hasnt been ready, now. Good %s tho
Mann - rough season on rebuilding team, but at least is playing
Kai - not getting any PT on a fringe playoff team
JJ - not getting PT on a playoff team

Troll better man

[DonaldSanders]

:)

Kuminga had quite a few highlights against him last night in limited minutes.

Watch on YouTube

Meh, the putback was pretty af though. But Wagner just played 31 mins in a blowout, so Kuminga comes in and plays 12 mins with fresh legs against a weak bench. But it's great that Kuminga is starting to get mins and show what he can do.

Its not Franz Wagner guys its his slow footed brother Moritz Wagner. Kuminga scored few buckets against our third stringers.

Glad you pointed that out, I didn't watch quite as closely in garbage time and was wondering why Wagner didn't seem that good, lol.

[Tor_Raps]

So are Magic fans rating Wagner ahead of Suggs already?

Those highlights looked nice but I haven't seen near enough of both to make any real judgment yet.

[orlando_joe]

So are Magic fans rating Wagner ahead of Suggs already?

Those highlights looked nice but I haven't seen near enough of both to make any real judgment yet.

no only 25 games..just saying franz looks good

[FNQ]

So are Magic fans rating Wagner ahead of Suggs already?

Those highlights looked nice but I haven't seen near enough of both to make any real judgment yet.

From what I've seen, I think I would. I wasn't very high on Suggs to begin with though, I liked Zaga as a team last year but didnt think they had any 'cant miss' type player on their roster, and Suggs was pushed as that during the draft process. I think he'll be a fine pro, but I wasnt as surprised as others when Toronto went Barnes over Suggs, and I also wouldnt have been surprised if the Magic had initially taken Kuminga over Suggs either. Giddey over Suggs.. I would not have done. Giddey over quite a few lottery picks I would not have done, TBH

[Johnny Firpo]

Career high 38, the kid just keeps going, averaging 20/5/3 in December on 48/39/88.

Watch on YouTube

[basketballRob]

Franz isn't as good as Doncic but I remember some reluctance to accept him as a really good player. I see the same reluctance with Franz.

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[basketballRob]

Wagner jumps to number 1 in new Kia Rookie Ladder.



https://www.nba.com/news/kia-rookie-ladder-dec-29-2021

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[cupcakesnake]

So are Magic fans rating Wagner ahead of Suggs already?

Those highlights looked nice but I haven't seen near enough of both to make any real judgment yet.

I don't think it's insane to rate Wagner ahead of Suggs right now. Obviously we haven't gotten to see much of Suggs yet and he hopefully starts delivering on his big potential next season. But if scouts/fans had any idea that Franz had this kind of NBA potential on offense, he would have been in the conversation for a top 5 pick. Before the draft, he was a seen as a big defensive combo forward who might or might not have enough shooting to contribute on offense. People who liked him saw he had some crafty playmaking in him, but I never heard anyone say that he projected to be able to handle the ball and shoot like he's shown.

A 6'9" guy who can defend, shoot, and attack off the dribble? That guy probably would have been drafted ahead of Suggs.

[cupcakesnake]

The craziest thing about his 38 points last night was who he was doing it against. He had this one possession where he took Jrue Holiday off the dribble and then euro stepped past Giannis.

He was the focus of an elite defense and he dropped 38 on them, scoring inside and out while getting to the line 10x.

[TwoStarz]

Oh man, if Wagner and Melo blossom into stars, warriors are going to look real silly in a few years.

I really liked Wagner at 7 for the dubs just like I really liked Melo at 2 for them.

Instead they got a rookie who just went 3-10 at the line last night and a big man with no spatial awareness. Not sure why GM's fall in love with raw 19 year olds. Do these dumbasses think they can teach feel and awareness for the game? You'd think it would be obvious by now that the game is dominated by skill and feel.

No matter how hard you try you can't teach that, and it will outlast any physical gifts you choose over it.

[LoveMyRaps]

His game is sooo smooth for a guy his size.
Dude can legit do it all.
I've been able to watch a bunch of Magic games this season and what convinced me that he's gonna be a star, is his ability to take what the defense gives him, his veteran like poise, and most importantly his ability to pass out of the double. He's great on both ends of the floor already at such a young age.

Barnes & Cade possess those same traits.

This draft has 4 surefire stars already: Barnes, Mobley, Cade, & Franz. It's impossible to say which one will be the best 5-10 years from now but I'm certain this will go down as the best draft since '03.

We'll definitely see more all-stars from this draft as well, no doubt about it.

[tundraknight]

Yeah at least the Magic hit the mark on one of their two Top 8 Picks.

If they drafted Giddey instead of Suggs at 5 it would have been the perfect draft for the Magic imo.

They could’ve complimented each other well with so much length and incredible passing.

[Lalouie]

he didn't do jack when he played my bruins, so it's hard for me to envision him as a potential star.

stars should always be stars

4pts/8reb/2assist - stunningly awesome especially in march when it counts

[ORLMagicGirl15]

Yeah at least the Magic hit the mark on one of their two Top 8 Picks.

If they drafted Giddey instead of Suggs at 5 it would have been the perfect draft for the Magic imo.

They could’ve complimented each other well with so much length and incredible passing.

Suggs is really great for us. I know his offensive numbers aren’t pretty but he does all the little things.

Getting back on topic, look, Franz has only played 35 games. I have no idea if he’s going to be a potential star but after many years of having injured rookies, It’s nice watching his development from day one. I’m just going to enjoy his journey without putting such big expectations on him that might diminish my enjoyment of his developing game.