Which team did Franz Wagner play for before Orlando Magic? All you need to know
Franz Wagner is one of the most exciting young players in the NBA. He's only in his second season in the league, yet he's already established himself as a star player for the Orlando Magic.
The 6-foot-9 forward from Germany entered the professional basketball league through the 2021 NBA draft. The Magic took their chances with the international player, selecting him with the eighth overall pick.
Before joining the NBA, however, Wagner played for a couple of other teams. Like many other international players, he already had some experience by the time he joined the most prestigious basketball league.
Franz Wagner played for three teams before Orlando Magic
Franz Wagner first played for Alba Berlin in the Basketball Bundesliga. In his first season with the team, the forward averaged only two points per game.
Wagner got a slightly bigger role in his second season with the German basketball team. Playing 12 minutes per game, the young player finished the season averaging 4.6 points and 1.3 rebounds.
Wagner had several noteworthy performances with the German team. His best scoring performance was against Mitteldeutscher BC, where he scored 16 points on 6-foot-11 shooting.
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It's interesting that the talented player had a dual contract with Alba Berlin. Due to this, he also spent some time playing for the SSV Lokomotive Bernau, a team from the third-tier league in Germany.
After two years in Europe, Franz Wagner was considered a four-star prospect. He received several scholarship offers, including an offer from Butler and Stanford, but decided to join the Michigan Wolverines.
In his first season with the college team, the forward averaged 11.6 points and 5.6 rebounds. He increased his average to 12.5 points and 6.5 rebounds, and was named the second-team All-Big Ten.
Wagner's NBA career
Franz Wagner was the eighth overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft. He showed a lot of potential during his rookie season with the Orlando Magic, averaging 15.2 points on 46.8% shooting.
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The 6-foot-9 forward was also available for most of the games, appearing in 79 of them. The young star had several amazing performances in his first NBA season, including a 38-point scoring outburst against the Milwaukee Bucks in late December 2021.
Throughout the 2022-23 season, Wagner has appeared in 27 games, averaging 19.7 points on almost 50% shooting. The forward has had a pair of 30-point games, including the 34-point game against the Toronto Raptors on December 9th.
Franz Wagner shot 12-for-15 from the field in his performance against the Raptors, which was very impressive. He also added five rebounds, two assists, and two steals to his boxscore.