I’m sure I could have gone high-brow and done a motif-style pun on Franz Kafka and the emergence of rookie Franz Wagner, but c’mon. We got enough letters to get it to near-wang and we got an “er” at the end. I know no other brow than a low one… but let’s not lose focus on the real topic at hand, not how artful that title of this piece is, but rather how Franz Wagner is doing. And quite well probably, as he’s coming fresh off a 38 PTS, 7 REB, 3 AST performance on 12/20 shooting (4/8 from outside the arc) with a +4 in a 17-point loss against the Bucks. It’s been said that when we look back several years to this draft class, it’ll be considered legendary in skill and scope. I know it’s been said because I have also said it before and believe it to be completely true, this is probably shaping up to be one of the best draft classes ever in NBA history and I firmly believe that Wanger is a large part of that prognostication. I also got to use firm and wang in the same sentence because I realized if you type Wagner enough times, you go full Freudian, so truly the Lord works in mysterious ways.
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As a young sophomore, Franz Wagner was a dude who did a bit of everything, bringing a wide skill base on both ends of the floor at Michigan. Accredited with having a high basketball IQ during this time, the tangible stats certainly backed up the idea that Wagner could flourish at higher levels. His offensive rating of 121.8 and defensive rating of 91.3 were good enough for top-five in his conference and his plus-minus rating of 11.9 was the fifth best in the country. In his two seasons as a Wolverine, he averaged about 12 points per game with six rebounds and two assists shooting at a solid 46.5 percent.
And while I’m entirely sure how to gauge his international experience, he only played 11 minutes and put up just four shots in 58 games with Alba Berlin, but it certainly plays into the fact that this player is truly the jack of all trades, dabbling in a bit of everything that the wonderful sport of basketball has to offer. And it isn’t as much a label as it is a factual representation of his skillset, there were no glaring weaknesses, and still aren’t now that he has been accruing NBA minutes.
In terms of his offense, his ability, then and now, to be agile with strong decision-making augments his current triple threat style. His vision and quick reads have been present since his time as a Wolverine, where Wagner maintained a 2.32 assist/turnover ratio, an outstanding number for a player of his size and position on the floor. And while we don’t have to spend too much time on his defense, he was a prolific stealer as well, netting 2.9 combined steals and blocks during the same timeframe.
All this is to say is that Franz Wagner is something special and he’s still maintaining it at a low-key pace. Playing for a low-key (maybe terrible is a better descriptor) Magic team will do that to ya, but obviously, this past game might change some things, as it is probably the best one-day stat line from a rookie this season, not to mention Wagner breaking Jalen Green’s rookie record. And let’s not forget, this was against the defending champs with a smattering of All-NBA defenders.
The German Durant?
Yeah, I don’t think it’s wild to dream on that. Check out this clip on Wagner here. It’s something that I really enjoy showing because it really magnifies who and what Franz is. The coordination, the change of speed, and body control on his drive are all spectacular for a player of his size. And while these aren’t necessarily applicable comparisons, I would point out that players like Doncic, Harden, even Jokic, and Ben Simmons have these elements in their style and it’s hard not to ignore how well Wagner has acclimated to the NBA and the way he’s doing it mirrors some of the current big-time players. (Just ignore I mentioned Simmons. Annnnnnnnnd I guess 2021 Harden, yikes.)
Top-3 Rookie right now? Yes, I do think so. Rookie of the Year? Could be very likely, though I can admit the hype is strong with this recency bias and I’m sure Scottie and Mobley will still have plenty left to say about this. However, that being said, Wagner now leads all rookies in PPG and total points, he’s had 20+ points in six of his last nine games, and over the last 17 games, he’s averaged nearly 20 points, six rebounds with four assists, which leads all rookies over that same stretch.
Franz Wagner is for real, is here to stay, and is on the way to becoming something special. While the Magic might not be relevant this season, Wagner will be. Just make sure you keep an eye on this Wanger.
Low-brow, this is the way.
Jay is a longtime Razzball everything who consumes an egregious amount of Makers Mark as a vehicle to gain wisdom and augment his natural glow. Living in the D.C. area, he also likes spending time visiting the local parks and feeding lettuce to any turtles he encounters, including Mitch McConnell. You can follow him on Twitter @jaywrong.
