Former Michigan center Moritz “Moe” Wagner was selected with the No. 25 overall pick by the Los Angeles Lakers in tonight’s NBA Draft.
It’s the third straight year that Michigan has had a player drafted in the first round, joining Caris LeVert, who was taken with the No. 20 pick in 2016 by the Brooklyn Nets and D.J. Wilson, who was drafted 17th overall last year by the Milwaukee Bucks.
Only three schools can boast having a first round pick in each of the last three years — Kentucky, Duke and Michigan.
The Wolverines have only matched that streak one other time in school history, from 1988-1990, when U-M had five first round picks in that span (one in 1988 and 1989, three in 1990).
Michigan has now had eight players drafted since 2013 — most in the Big Ten. Michigan State is second with seven selections (including two tonight).
The Wolverines are expected to end the night sixth nationally in total draft picks since 2013, trailing only Kentucky, Duke, UCLA, Arizona and Kansas. They have seven first-round picks since 2013, the fourth-most in the country behind Kentucky, Duke and UCLA.
Every single first-round pick that has come from Michigan has been taken at pick No. 25 or earlier — Wagner is the latest of them all.
ESPN analyst Jay Bilas called Wagner one of the best shooting big men in the draft and expanded on what makes him such a solid NBA prospect.
“Mobile, crafty, fundamentally sound, not a great athlete, but he does a solid job on the glass," Bilas said. "He’s not a great rebounder, but he blocks out every time and that goes to his fundamentally sound nature. He can stretch you out a little bit and make a three, and he’s a good passer. He’s gotten better year after year after year at Michigan. He can be a little emotional at times, but he’s another great kid in this draft.”
Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka is a Michigan graduate. Going to LA also means there's a chance Wagner will be playing with LeBron James next year.
Wagner was interviewed by ESPN after shaking NBA Commissioner Adam Silver's hand and flashed the inside of his suit jacket that had an Alba Berlin patch (his team in Germany) and a block M for the Wolverines.
“It’s a lot of hard work, a lot of people that help you out to get to this point," Wagner said. "I’m so incredibly grateful to be here. I’m speechless."
Wagner averaged 14.6 point per game and 7.1 rebounds per game last season. He won the Big Ten Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player award and was part of the NCAA Tournament West Region All-Tournament team and Final Four All-Tournament team. He also was named second-team All-Big Ten by both the coaches and the media.
ESPN analyst and former Detroit Pistons point guard Chauncey Billups compared Wagner to Mehmet Okur, who averaged 13.5 points and 7.0 rebounds in his 10-year career.
Michigan coach John Beilein has now had nine NBA draft picks during his 11-year tenure in Ann Arbor. Wagner is his seventh first-round selection.
“Coach Beilein helped me out so much, the whole staff. They’re all here. They all support me so much," Wagner said. "It’s crazy, I’m so grateful to have all these great people around me. Without them I couldn’t do this. It means so much to me.”
Steve Fisher has the most first-round picks in Michigan coaching history with eight. He had 11 total selections (not including Glen Rice, who was technically coached by both Fisher and Bill Frieder). Frieder has the most NBA draft picks in school history, with 16, but nine of them did not come in either the first or second-round (prior to 1989, the NBA Draft had more than two rounds).
Wagner closed out the interview with a message for Lakers fans.
“I’m going to give it my all, 100 percent every day," Wagner said. "That’s all that matters. I love basketball and whatever happens, happens. I’m going to love it and leave it all out there.”
---
• Talk about this article inside The Fort
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolverine
• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolverineMag, @BSB_Wolverine, @JB_ Wolverine, @AustinFox42, @AndrewVcourt, @Balas_Wolverine and @Qb9Adam.
• Like us on Facebook
