Los Angeles Lakers first round pick Moritz Wagner had a strong debut in the California Classic summer league.
The Los Angeles Lakers kicked off their summer league schedule on Monday night in the inaugural California Classic. The Lakers are partaking in the first installment of this summer league along with the Sacramento Kings, Miami Heat and Golden State Warriors.
Monday night was the first time we got to see some of the young Lakers take the court in the purple and gold. One player who had a lot of attention on him was Moritz Wagner. Wanger was the Lakers’ first-round pick in the 2018 NBA Draft and he did not disappoint in his debut.
Wagner filled up the stat sheet in his first game wearing a Lakers jersey. Wagner started at center and was matched up with Kings’ center, Harry Giles. Giles didn’t play during his rookie season after rehabbing from knee ailments. Wagner more than held his own against Giles.
Wagner expressed a ton of confidence offensively. He didn’t shoot the ball well, shooting only 6-of-18 from the field and 2-of-9 from the 3-point line. However, it was good to see Wagner be aggressive offensively, showcasing his diverse offensive game.
Wagner scored 23 points in his debut, which was tied for the team lead with Josh Hart. Wagner attacked relentlessly despite the poor shooting night, getting to the foul line for 10 attempts. He made nine of them, showing off his nice shooting touch.
Nice dish by Xavier Rathan-Mayes finds Moe Wagner for the easy slam #LakeShow (📺: @SpectrumSN & NBA TV) pic.twitter.com/D5vIaGHtjN
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) July 3, 2018
In addition to the scoring numbers, Wagner added one assist and only two turnovers. He also performed well on the glass. Wagner pulled down seven rebounds, four of which were on the offensive variety.
Defensively, he held his own as well. Wagner isn’t the most athletic player, which showed at times. However, he is a great competitor and is always hustling. He finished the game with one block and two steals, including a highlight block at the rim against Giles.
https://twitter.com/Lakers/status/1013986626970644481
While the shooting numbers were disappointing, this was a solid debut overall for Wagner. There is a chance that he could be in the lineup right off the bat this season as the Lakers center position is up in the air right now.
Given his offensive skill set, Wagner could get some minutes as a stretch-5, spacing the court for LeBron James and Brandon Ingram to operate.
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His defense is still a work in progress, but at least he is trying. If he continues putting effort into that side of the ball, he will force the Lakers hand and get some playing time.