There's not much positive news to go around for Washington Wizards fans, as they are currently the second-worst team in the Eastern Conference. However, Moritz Wagner gave them something positive to talk about when he helped the team snatch their third win of the season against an emerging Minnesota Timberwolves team, 137-116.
Wagner finished the game with a stat line of 30 points, 15 rebounds and two assists, impressive numbers for a forward who is only in his second year of NBA action. His performance was easily one of the best in his career, showing Wizards fans what they can expect from the 22-year-old forward.
Interestingly, there's mo to his performance. As it turns out, it was the first time since 2002 recorded such stats. The last player to have a 30-15 game off the bench was Yao Ming who had 30 points and 16 rebounds against the Dallas Mavericks 17 years ago.
Per @EliasSports Moe Wagner is the first NBA reserve with 30+ pts & 15+ rebs in a game since Yao Ming (30/16 at Mavs on 11/21/02); last franchise player was Cliff Robinson (32/17 at Warriors on 2/17/85) #Wizards
— D Double (@McNubian) November 16, 2019
To be compared to one of the greatest international players to ever lace them up is an honor for the German.
Yao is one of the big international figures that helped usher the league into the global phenomenon it is today, and it's not bad for Wagner to aim for similar heights that Yao and Dirk Nowitzki — the best German to play the sport — achieved.
His on-court contributions are also important for the Wizards. After a disappointing debut with the Los Angeles Lakers, he immediately made his impact felt on Washington.
Wagner is averaging 17 minutes a game with the Wizards, putting up 11 points and five rebounds per game. We can only expect these numbers to grow as there's not a lot of capable big men in the Wizards roster at the moment.
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