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The Rookie of the Year race has tightened up and it looks likely that Evan Mobley, Cade Cunningham and Scottie Barnes will finish 1-2-3 in some order. While there may be a lack of consensus regarding those top positions, if the official ballot papers span four places, you may find Franz Wagner holding that spot everywhere.
Wagner was overshadowed by the rest of the Novice class, but his production this year has been impressive. He has appeared in every game of The Magic and started it this season, and is one of only four players in the league to have appeared in every game for his team. He’s been a reliable contributor at both ends of the floor, averaging 15.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 0.9 steals per game, with a real shooting percentage of 55.9.
The most impressive part of Wagner’s entry-level campaign isn’t just its availability or consistency, but its versatility. He was a positional threat (37.7 at 3 seconds to catch and shoot) and at 6-foot-10, above average in capture. It shoots 46.0 percent on 9.3 drives per game—only Cade Cunningham and Davion Mitchell were more efficient as starters on at least 6.0 drives per game. He also has the lowest drive turnover of 17 starters with an average of at least 4.0 drives per game. And he can shoot the dribble – between Most accurate drag shooters Among the junior class this year.
Franz Wagner looked like a solid piece on both ends of the earth
In defense, Wagner has more than just his consistency. I spent a lot of time Defending the smaller wings Sadiq Bay, Chris Middleton, RJ Barrett, Aaron Gordon, Kentavius Caldwell-Pope, DeMar DeRozan, Gordon Hayward, Harrison Barnes, Kevin Durant and Tobias Harris are the 10 players who have spent the most possessions in defense this season. Despite those challenging tasks, RAPTOR’s All-in-One Benchmarks 538 to be one of only 11 emerging players to have played at least 750 minutes this season and been positive in defense. He’s also the only rookie, according to their estimations, who was a net positive on both ends of the earth.
The Magic has struggled this season and is likely to end up with one of the worst records in the league, but they had their moments and Wagner was involved in several of them. The Magic has only two squads that have played at least 50 minutes together this season and have outdone their opponents. Wagner excels in both, and in the season, Magic is 8.4 points better per 100 possessions when on the ground.
Wagner’s production doesn’t scream “Future Star” in the same way that Barnes, Cunningham, or Mobley does. But he’s already had a huge impact on his team’s performance and is showing a variety of two-way skills that can be very useful to magic as they continue to rebuild towards a supplement competitor.
He hasn’t been the best rookie in the league this season but he’s been very good and there is every reason to believe he will continue to be there for years to come.
Other NBA Stories:
This week on The Long Two, Ben Ladner looks at how the Celtics will need to adapt without Robert Williams and a small group of players who have managed to play in every game this season.
For the second season in a row, the Oklahoma City Thunder are one of the worst teams in the NBA. For Sam Presti, everything is going according to plan.
The Pelican will not accept Zion Williamson’s trade bids unless he imposes their hand. But if he does, the Knicks should be ready to pounce.
Mike Krzyzewski has been a pivotal but very special figure in the history of college basketball. It seems there may be a reason for that.
The playoffs are coming and it’s worth noting that every team, even those with injuries and blemishes like the Celtics Warriors, still have everything it takes to make it happen.
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