Lake Show Life
Fansided

Los Angeles Lakers: Grading their 2018 draft selections

By Dominic Torres

NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 21: Moritz Wagner poses with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver after being drafted 25th overall by the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2018 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 21, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 21: Moritz Wagner poses with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver after being drafted 25th overall by the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2018 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 21, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 4
Next
Los Angeles Lakers have new strech-5 in Moritz Wagner
(Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /

20. Michigan. MoritzWagner. 25. C/PF. player. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis

INTANGIBLES

  • Age – 18.6
  • Height – 6’9″
  • Weight – 203 LBS
  • Wingspan – 7’0″
  • Standing Reach – 9’0″

ANALYSIS

Goodbye, Brook Lopez, and HELLO, Moritz Wagner!

The prototypical stretch-four (or five, depending on sets) will help out Los Angeles in many ways. Wagner’s floor spacing will, like Svi, help out the Lakers in an area they so seriously struggled in 2017-18. Wagner projects to be a far better pace-and-space player than Lopez, as well. In Wagner’s tear in the NCAA stage as a junior in Michigan, he shot over 39.4 percent from deep. He could be the league’s next Kelly Olynyk: a big capable of playing the four or five that won’t hurt in any offensive set.

By all means, Wagner is a competitor at all levels, which is another reason why Los Angeles selected him at 25. However, the Lakers also need interior protection, which is something that Lopez does have that Wagner does not. Wagner will likely never be an anchor on the defensive side of the floor, and his fundamentals on the opposite side of the floor are as loose as Vlade Divac’s career as the GM of the Kings. He also is not geared up for an inside game, something most centers his size have a grasp of. A team such as Golden State or Houston could completely run Wagner off the floor.

Do not get me wrong. Wagner can improve his game on the opposite side of the floor. However, Robert Williams, who was somehow projected to be selected in the 12-17 range, was still available at the 25th pick. Sure, his off-court habits raised multiple questions on his playing type, but at that low, it is certainly a risk worth taking.

I, for one, wanted L.A. to select Anfernee Simons to boost up the reserves. I completely believed that Wagner would still be available at 39, which was a huge possibility considering his 30-40 ranking status on most NBA big boards. At this point, we have Summer League and the Preseason to see how well both Wagner and Svi can play, granted the LeBron James/Paul George sweepstakes are still on in late June.

Next: Complete First Round Grades

If these grades are completely off and wary, be sure to mention me at @DJTNBA on Twitter. I will be happy to have a conversation with you on this topic. Until then, we should continue to watch and see how well these young Lakers perform at every stage from now.

B-. . C/PF. Los Angeles Lakers. MORITZ WAGNER

Home/Lakers Draft