Minnesota Timberwolves Draft Profile: Moritz Wagner
By Trey Flynn
Moritz Wagner is a big man that can shoot from Michigan at the age of 21, which makes him an asset for any team for this upcoming draft.
Wagner showed his ability to play both sides of the ball, especially down at the offensive end.
A team like the Timberwolves who are paying Gorgui Dieng an asinine amount of money, just need a big man that is consistent off the bench to play off of Karl-Anthony Towns.
Mortiz Wagner could be the diamond in the rough, who is often compared to players with talents that mirror Mo Speights and Kelly Olynyk – both of those players would be a tremendous help for the Wolves roster.
Moe Wagner often talks about how his idol, Dirk Nowitzki, was the reason he wanted to leave Germany and become an NBA star – which is much more difficult than being homegrown in America. Wagner is quoted talking about the type of significance it can be to have your favorite player play in the league against you.
"Via, Players Tribune“I’m a big-time basketball fan, so I read a lot about NBA history. And I remember reading this story on Dirk, from the time when Michael Jordan announced he was coming back with the Wizards. It was about how Dirk and all of these guys in his draft class, like Paul Pierce and Vince Carter, they grew up idolizing MJ … but they had just missed their window of getting to play against him. So then when MJ came back — for those players, it was this extra-big deal. It was like, Wow, nuts. I get to play against my idol now.”"
Wagner talks about how those Hall of Famers – who were then rookies – got the chance to play with their idols and how it may have grown their game to another level. Wagner often quotes Nowitizki as not only being his favorite player, but rather an unattainable goal to help him push through adversity to become better.
Height: 7’0″, Weight: 240, Age: 21
Statisitcs: 14.6 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 39.4% 3FG
Wagner talks about here what separates him from the pest of the prospects in the draft, which is his work ethic and his ability to overcome adversity.
Shooting a close 40 percent from three is what will stand out to most scouts, but Moe’s personality is what stands out in this video. There is a certain fire that is coming from this 21 year old, which is a rare quality for his age, especially at the big man position.
Now we just have to wait and see what Tom Thibodeau and Glen Taylor decide to do with their two picks for the 2018 NBA Draft.