Former Michigan wing Franz Wagner named to NBA All-Rookie first team
Former Michigan Wolverines basketball wing Franz Wagner was one of the best rookies in the NBA this season, and he was rewarded with a postseason honor. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie first team, and received the fourth-most votes. He’s Michigan’s first to appear on the All-Rookie first team since Trey Burke and Tim Hardaway Jr. in 2013-14.
Toronto Raptors wing Scottie Barnes, Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham and Cleveland Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley were unanimously selected to the first team, notching votes on all 100 ballots from a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters and tallying 200 points. Wagner (183 points; 84 first-team votes) and Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (158 points; 58 first-team votes) checked in fourth and fifth, respectively.
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Wagner, the NBA Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for December, started all 79 of his games and ranked fourth among first-year NBA players with 15.2 points per game. That mark ranked second on the Magic. The former Michigan star shot 46.8 percent from the field and 35.4 percent from three-point range, while scoring in double figures 66 times. The German added 4.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists per outing.
His 79 appearances were the most out of any rookie this season. And out of first-year players, the Michigan product scored the most points (1,197), grabbed the fifth most rebounds (356), dished out the sixth most assists (231), and tallied the fifth most steals (68).
“Franz had a tremendous rookie season,” Magic President of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman said recently on FM 96.9 The Game’s Open Mike. “I feel that he learned what eighty-two games is about. He came within a whisker of playing all eighty-two, which would have been a hell of an accomplishment. But the fact that he did play as many as he did, I think is remarkable in today’s NBA for a rookie.”
“I’m super grateful that I got a lot of opportunity, a lot more than I expected coming in,” Wagner said in a postseason interview. “It made my development a little quicker, I think, (being able) to try some stuff, make some mistakes, and learn on the fly too, and be in some situations that I wasn’t necessarily in a lot in college. I like those challenges, and I’m very thankful to the coaching staff for giving me that opportunity.”
Prior to entering the 2021 NBA Draft, where he was the No. 8 overall pick and the Wolverines’ eighth first-rounder since 2013, Wagner spent two seasons at Michigan.
As a freshman, Wagner became the 10th Wolverine to earn a spot on the Big Ten All-Freshman team and was awarded Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors three times. He averaged 11.6 points and 5.6 rebounds, as he produced 17 double-figure scoring games with two 20-plus including a career-high 22 at Purdue (Jan. 22). He led Michigan with 34 steals and was second with 41 three-pointers.
During his sophomore year in 2020-21, he helped lead Michigan to an outright Big Ten regular-season title, 23-5 record and an Elite Eight appearance. The All-Big Ten second teamer had a career season as he averaged 12.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists, led U-M with 35 steals, and was second with 29 blocks.
