After Fultz's comeback, the Magic gathered a group of young talented players who were not only talented in the draft but also outstanding. The protagonist of this article, Wagner, is different from several other high-ranking rookies. He doesn't have particularly outstanding athleticism, but he is a very versatile, technically solid, and amazing rookie player with amazing ball quotient.
At present, Wagner has a data of close to 16+5+3. Shooting 47 percent from the field, 37 percent from three-point range, and 85 percent from the free throws, it's not easy for a rookie player to deliver such an efficient report card. Moreover, Wagner is the only player in all the rookies in the current 21st class to score more than 1,000 points. Wagner was selected by the Magic with the 8th pick in the first round last year, and the official template given at the time of the draft was Bjelica. Wagner's first year of his career is already better than any other year of Bjelica's career, and the No. 8 show could be the magic's true team-building core.
Why? Wagner doesn't have the terrifying static talent of Fultz, nor can he run and jump like Anthony and Saggers. He is a player with solid skills and a well-rounded style, and his all-round performance is that he can attack and defend and organize, specific to the offensive end, Wagner can break through, can shoot, can hold the ball, can not have the ball. Wagner's shooting is very stable, and the mid-range and even the three-point line are his regular output areas. When attacking with the ball, Wagner benefits from his height and stride length, and can use the rhythm to pass the opponent. His finishing touch is very delicate, and the left and right hands can complete the finishing. Offensively, Wagner is the highest of the 21 rookies.
We may wish to look at the following set of statistics, a rookie player is not easy to get a high score in a single game, if you can play a strong team and get a high score, you can show its true strength. Wagner has scored high points against the following teams this season. Wagner, who played last season's champion, scored 38 points in a single game. Wagner, two championship-fighting teams facing the 76ers and the Heat, have scored 27 points. The defensive prowess of the three teams mentioned above is well known. Yet Wagner seemed to be playing well against these teams. Cunningham, Green and Barnes, the high-ranking rookies, don't seem to have delivered similar performances. Some All-Star players are likely to be out of shape against the above three teams and are very limited. Embiid, for example, scored 22 points on just 4-of-15 shooting against the Heat today.
Defensively, Wagner is 2.06 meters tall and has a decent defensive coverage. He has averaged 0.9 steals and 0.5 blocks per game this season. Wagner also inherits the characteristics of European players, with excellent defensive awareness and strong anticipation ability. If you strengthen your defensive awareness and footsteps in the future, Wagner should be able to become a mid-level defensive player.
Several other new stars of the Magic have obvious limitations, Fultz's injury does not know how many can be found, and Anthony is limited by his height and playing style, and it is difficult to become a home star. Saggers played for so long that he was far inferior to Wagner, so the Magic should focus on Wagner, giving him more chances and the right to fire. This season the Magic also has no record pressure. The 20-year-old German teenager will have an unlimited future. Dear readers, what level do you think Wagner has performed this season? Feel free to leave a comment in the comments section below the article.