Michigan Wolverines basketball star Moritz Wagner announced Saturday he would hire an agent and declare for the NBA Draft. Is it possible he ends up in Detroit and should the Pistons want to draft him?
The Pistons’ season over and among the many things up in the air are what their options are without a first round pick in the 2018 draft. They still hold pick number 42 overall this year and could take a local star with it.
On Saturday, Michigan basketball’s foremost talent from their 2018 Final Four team, declared for the NBA draft in an article from The Players’ Tribune.
Forward, Moritz “Mo” Wagner tweeted out a link to his essay titled, “Thank you, Michigan:”
All dreams sound crazy...
— Moe Wagner (@moritz_weasley) April 14, 2018
https://t.co/bQPeQT1Ybx
Wagner, a Berlin native, talked about his the inspiration Dallas Maverick’s legend Dirk Nowitzki had on him.
"“I was 14 years old at the time, and just beginning to figure out who I was as an athlete and a person. And to see this big German dude, with this unique game, beating this stacked Miami team with LeBron and D-Wade and Bosh and all of those guys? Man, it was something else. It was the first time in my life that I realized what winning can actually mean to people. I had Dirk Fever, you know?”"
The Pistons could be the team to bring Wagner into the league and pit him against his idol next season.
Wagner is projected to fall somewhere between picks 40 and 50 in this year’s draft so the Pistons could take him if they want him.
However, the question is, how good a fit is he with this team?
Should Stan Van Gundy still be the coach next season, Wagner could be what the Pistons have been missing in that scheme.
Wagner averaged just over 14 points and seven rebounds in 27 minutes his junior season at Michigan. He shot 50 percent from the floor and almost 40 percent from 3-point range.
He had a modest 2018 NCAA Tournament, but did have a memorable performance against Loyola-Chicago in their Final Four win. Wagner scored 24 points and shot 3-for-7 from 3-point range. He added 15 rebounds and three steals in that game.
Wagner’s range and offensive skill could be a good compliment to the Pistons bench unit that has struggled to back up Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin.
Anthony Tolliver is unlikely to stay with the Pistons this offseason as he will be an unrestricted free agent and should end up taking more money to go to another team. Tolliver was arguably the Pistons most consistent player off the bench this season.
With Tolliver out, the Pistons will need more shooting, and Wagner could offer that. He is not as strong on defense as Tolliver, but could make up for it on offense if given the opportunity.
Wagner would likely be battling with the likes of Eric Moreland and Henry Ellenson for those minutes if the Pistons draft him.
Listed at 6’11, 245 pounds, he has the size of Ellenson but shoots at better percentages across the board. Ellenson has gotten a lot of run late in the last two seasons, but did not show then or in the Summer League that he is ready to make a jump into the full-time rotation.
Moreland averaged just two points and four rebounds in 12 minutes per game last season. He is a high-energy type of guy, but does not offer enough on either end of the floor to have earned any more significant minutes.
Wagner could end up being a project similar to Ellenson, but if his game transitions to the speed of the NBA faster than Ellenson, he could be a very nice addition to the Pistons bench unit.