SIAP: Franz Wagner In-Depth Report
This is an excellent indepth breakdown of Franz Wagner of how he'll fit in the NBA.
http://jakeinthepaint.com/size-skill-and-smarts-franz-wager-has-the-juice/
Also, Sam Veccine has him #13 in his player rankings so he's basically borderline lottery pick but likely will be mid teens in the draft. The biggest question is his shooting. Even though he has been shooting better lately but he has a low and somewhat slow release. However, his FT shooting is a good indicator that he'll eventually be a 35-38% 3 pt shooter in the NBA which is fine for his skillsets.
You should really should shut your whore mouth about his NBA fit.
Or is it now just a foregone conclusion that he's gone?
Pretty much expected since the start of the season. Seems like Michigan has also recruited to replace him based on the incoming recruits
March 16th, 2021 at 11:30 AM ^
I keep reading he's a first round draft pick, but I have yet to see a mock draft that has him as a number one draft pick. He's done good stuff this year, but unless he turns it on in the tourney, I could easily see him coming back.
Vecenie at the Athletic had him at 13th in his mock today, Jonathan Wasserman from Bleacher Report had him at 12th in his mock earlier this week:
He's just a pretty ideal fit as a wing who can do everything at the next level. Maybe a couple of prospects below him have insane workouts/tournament performances but he's not falling out of the top 20.
Lol wut i havent seen a recent mock that didnt. He gone.
March 16th, 2021 at 10:08 AM ^
Im sure he will take a page out of his brothers book and leave early.
March 16th, 2021 at 11:19 AM ^
It’s very likely he leaves early, but it’s not like jumping at the opportunity to compete at the highest level of the sport and earn millions in the process is some character flaw of the Wagners. Franz has every right to pursue his dreams and do whats best for himself without ‘fans’ shitting on him for doing so.
March 16th, 2021 at 12:40 PM ^
From his European background where kids who are keen on pro sports (e.g. soccer - futbol) are basically "pros" since they were over 10, what the Wagners have done is actually an abberation. Franz has a nice arsenal of moves and skills so if he becomes a star in the NBA and on the German national team, it will only help future recruiting from Europe.
Exactly. Franz and Mo could easily have gone the Luka route and chosen to play in Europe instead of jumping across the pond to be college students. They would have made money while sharpening their skills and gaining experience against pretty good competition (without having to venture so far from home). We're fortunate that both of them found the prospect of experiencing college life and collegiate athletics in the US appealing enough to pass that up.
March 16th, 2021 at 11:34 AM ^
His brother was here three years and was a two-year starter. Pretty normal for a guy with strong NBA stock to go pro under those circumstances.
March 16th, 2021 at 11:47 AM ^
It sucks that Moe Wagner invented the concept of going pro. As we know, all basketball players stayed four years until that evil German spy infiltrated the system and ruined the sport forever.
I dont understand the negativity? His brother left before graduating, and Franz is even better. Get a grip people
Why did you refer to him making what would be a routine choice as "taking a page out of his brother's book"?
It’s because Franz’s decision to leave early has nothing whatsoever to do with Mo’s. Mo didn’t invent the idea of going pro early, so the idea that it’s ‘his book’ is just nonsense. Also, the tone of your post seems to indicate disapproval of both of their decisions - and by the negs, I’m not alone in that interpretation.
He's pretty much as good as gone since the start of this season. He is now projected as a mid 1st rounder so he'll take the draft spot and money. Juwan expects him to be gone as well as evidenced by the big recruiting class.
Not that we wouldn’t want him back, but I think Houstan will be here to take his role. The biggest “need” that we have to have return is Mike Smith. If we get Smith back, we have a look of a team that can make a run again.
PG: Smith
SG: Bufkin
SF: Houstan
PF: Johns
C: Dickinson
Diabate plays basically starter minutes at the 4/5.
March 16th, 2021 at 10:02 AM ^
In this case, I think Jackson would get the nod over Bufkin at 2 at least initially. He has more familiarity with the system and seemed to be playing better when he stepped in at the 2 instead of primary ball handling duties. And then he would take over at point whenever Smith needs a break like Brooks does now.
March 16th, 2021 at 10:53 AM ^
Jackson has not shot well and tends to be selfish when he gets in clean up time. He has to grow tremendously, or he will not have a chance to start. I do t know how anyone thinks Johns would be gone automatically.
Hunter, Johns, Brown, Houston, Smith as starters. Diabate, Williams, and Bufkin or Jackson off the bench. Jackson needs to learn to distribute and not force a d rush his shot. We have no way of knowing if Bufkin’s game will translate the way we think, but he’s projected to be better than Meb. Like UK and Duke, guys who don’t crack lineup in year one with a higher rated recruit coming in behind them usually become bench guys or need to really humble their game and become a team guy, first. Not saying Meb is not a team guy, but on the court he plays hero ball with the games in hand. I have seen slight improvement in his distribution. Maybe he plays his way into the lineup and better balances his shot selection next year.
March 16th, 2021 at 10:59 AM ^
It's tough to tell much about selfishness when a guy is getting scattered minutes here or there. Some guys feel the pressure to perform and do something if they know they're only going to be out there for a couple minutes.
Also, we can do better than using shitty nicknames for our own players.
Also, we saw Terrance Williams in high leverage minutes where he doesn't jack up shots everytime he touches the ball. On mop up duty, he pretty much shoots it if he's open.
Zeb barely shot the ball on high leverage situation and I believe he didn't shoot the ball at all against MSU when Eli was out due to ankle injury.
Meb? Did I miss something?
Mebee yes, mebee no
March 16th, 2021 at 10:23 AM ^
I don't expect Johns to be on the team next year unless he plays remotely decent in the tourney
March 16th, 2021 at 10:31 AM ^
I really disagree. You think he wants to leave or he'll be nudged out? He's a starter now. He's very talented, and there are plenty of minutes available at the 4 and 5 next year even with Diabate. Sure, Diabate is on another level athletically, but given his experience, if Johns can be consistent I'd expect him to start over Diabate.
March 16th, 2021 at 11:21 AM ^
Totally agree. Davis came back and got the start over Hunter to begin the season, despite having far less of a track record than Johns. Unless Johns wants to transfer, which I hope he doesn’t, I see no reason why he wouldn’t come back to a large role and his best opportunity to become a starter since he’s been at Michigan.
And if I’m not mistaken, this year doesn’t count towards anyone’s eligibility, so I’m hoping we get two more years of Johns.
March 16th, 2021 at 12:26 PM ^
Diabate is a top 10 player in the country. I don't think Johns will start over him and he's already a junior and still lacks any consistency on either end of the floor. I'd expect him to transfer down a level and get his masters
March 16th, 2021 at 11:57 AM ^
This is a bit harsh but I think the reality is that Dickinson, Johns, and Diabate all want to enter the 2022 NBA Draft, and there is probably only enough opportunity at Michigan for two of them to achieve that goal. If nobody is willing to accept a lesser role, then someone will have to walk.
March 16th, 2021 at 11:22 AM ^
Isn’t Bufkin missing his entire senior season due to injury? Have concerns about a basically high school senior starting as a freshman.
March 16th, 2021 at 11:49 AM ^
He is trying to return for the playoffs, but IIRC he is also young for his grade, so it wouldn't be surprising to see Zeb be ahead of him next year.
Look at us. Begging for McDonald's All Americans for 15 years and now trying to decide which ones to bring off the bench
March 16th, 2021 at 12:16 PM ^
I think that could be a pretty solid line up
March 16th, 2021 at 12:48 PM ^
Why dont we discuss Eli coming back? He started as our PG his first half of his freshman year and did reasonably well. 5 years later and he is a hell of an all around player. Would an Eli/Smith backcourt logjam us and stunt the growth of our younger players? I would take Eli all day very day.
Sam Webb indicated that Mike Smith coming back could be in the card for Michigan. Nothing about Eli Brooks at all. Of the two, I rather have Mike Smith because he'll stabilize the PG position and show the rope to Frankie Collins and Zeb Jackson for a year before they can take over.
Eli isn't a true PG and is more of a combo guard.
March 16th, 2021 at 12:58 PM ^
I would be more inclined to think Houstan will be more of a PF in Livers role. He's a great shooter and solid defender.
Then who do we play at the 3?
Probably Barnes and Bufkin. Houstan will split times between SF and PF but he's more of a PF than a SF in an Isaiah Livers role.
Maybe so, but I don’t see us starting Barnes because he’s more of a natural 3. I think you put your best 5 out there and Houstan/Johns/Diabate/HD would be the front court. Cant start Houstan at the 4 unless you want both Johns and Diabate coming off the bench.
March 16th, 2021 at 10:00 AM ^
Personally, I think Franz needs another year of college ball to improve his shooting and gain mass. Another year of Camp Sanderson could turn him into a top 5 lottery pick next year.
Alas, he gone... I hope he goes out with a last game win.
March 16th, 2021 at 10:17 AM ^
I agree with your first paragraph. But after all effort of reading it, my mind wanders and I skipped your second paragraph. TS;DR.
March 16th, 2021 at 10:33 AM ^
He's not weak now. He's shooting 38.4% from 3 on the season. And I don't think there's a chance he'd be a top 5 pick because he's not a freak athlete.
March 16th, 2021 at 11:29 AM ^
Pretty much this. Barring Franz showing up as a 20ish ppg scorer as a junior, he’s not going top 5. NBA evaluators expect him to keep improving, so merely shooting a little better from 3 isn’t going to change their opinion much — he’s supposed to do that. To go top 5, he’d need to show something more than he currently has, which would mean either projecting as a #1 option on offense or taking his defense to the next level so that he looks to have consistent All-NBA defense combined with a #3 offensive profile (like what DeAndre Hunter was projected a couple of years ago.)
March 16th, 2021 at 11:38 AM ^
The notion that every player can improve his stock by staying is farfetched. An NBA team isn't going to pass up a guy they like because he's a little thin. They'll just ask him to lift weights.
The main argument for Franz to stay is that he hasn't had much of a normal college experience because of Covid. Strictly from a basketball perspective, going pro is the easy call.
This is a really bad take and one that somehow continues to be perpetuated. You can't work on your game in college as much as you can in the pros.
March 17th, 2021 at 12:10 AM ^
Why would he need another year of college when he's projected as a late lottery pick? If I was him, I'd take the projection and run with the money. He's ready to be a NBA player
March 16th, 2021 at 10:42 AM ^
I'm still concerned with his tendency to disappear for long periods of time. He is very inconsistent. To me he needs more time in school.
March 16th, 2021 at 11:07 AM ^
He disappears against athletic teams which doesn't bode well for success in the NBA. I think he could use another year at UM.
March 16th, 2021 at 12:41 PM ^
He seems very easy to get in his head and throw his game off. Once that happens he starts passing up shots he should take or forcing bad shots.
Those parts of the game where he disappears is when I see that.
March 16th, 2021 at 10:48 AM ^
He's gone, and he should be a 3rd or 4th guy on a good team in the NBA. Yes, he would benefit from another year in school, but I think that's true of almost every guy, tbh. They are all young and can grow as players if they stayed in the draft, but it's about negotiating that growth along with NBA potential. We've seen a few MSU guys stick around to see their stock drop. If you're a first round pick, you go. If you're borderline and think you can improve, come on back. He's a clear first-round pick, so he should go.
March 16th, 2021 at 10:48 AM ^
He's gone, and he should be a 3rd or 4th guy on a good team in the NBA. Yes, he would benefit from another year in school, but I think that's true of almost every guy, tbh. They are all young and can grow as players if they stayed in the draft, but it's about negotiating that growth along with NBA potential. We've seen a few MSU guys stick around to see their stock drop. If you're a first round pick, you go. If you're borderline and think you can improve, come on back. He's a clear first-round pick, so he should go.
March 16th, 2021 at 12:29 PM ^
Franz as the 3rd or 4th guy on a good NBA team? I like him a lot, but that’s a bit high for him. Hope I’m wrong.
It actually fits the profile for Franz. It's not too high for him or he wouldn't be projected as a late lottery/mid 1st round pick.