The Orlando Magic have officially selected former Michigan Wolverines guard Franz Wagner with the No. 8 overall pick in the first round of the 2021 NBA Draft. The former Michigan standout would go on to spend a pair of seasons as a member of the Wolverines before making his way into the 2021 NBA Draft class following his sophomore season in 2020-21.
The soon-to-be 2o-year-old Wagner will now join the Magic looking to make an immediate impact as a NBA rookie while performing quite well over the course of each of his seasons at the collegiate level.
Standing at 6'9″ while weighing 220 pounds, Wagner is a native of Berlin, Germany and has the ability to play both guard and forward as his size and solid rebounding prowess provide him with quite a bit of versatility, which is something that could go a long way for him atop the highest level. Of course, Wagner is the younger brother of former Michigan big man Mo Wagner, who currently plays for the Orlando Magic in addition to bouncing around the NBA since departing the Big Ten program back in 2018.
Wagner most recently averaged 12.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, an even three assists, 1.3 steals and one block over the course of 30.4 minutes per game and a total of 28 appearances, all of which were starts. As a freshman in 2019-20, Wagner appeared in 27 games for Michigan while starting 26 of those outings in addition to averaging 11.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, one assist, 1.3 steals, 0.6 blocks and 30.8 minutes per contest.
It will be interesting to see how Wagner transitions from 2021 NBA Draft prospect to the NBA game, though, as he is still progressing and developing as a player.
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