Michigan Wolverines Basketball: Franz Wagner Focused On The Now, Not NBA

Michigan basketball had two players dabble with the pros in the offseason in Isaiah Livers and Franz Wagner, but both opted back. Each of them spoke to a number of NBA teams before deciding to return, and both are all-in on what could well be their last years in the program.

For Livers, there’s no doubt. He’s a senior, and he’s ready to atone for an injury-shortened junior season with a big year. Wagner will have the option to come back for his junior year, but many believe he’ll skyrocket up NBA lists with a big season. Head coach Juwan Howard reported recently his star German was up 20 pounds and looking great.

As of now, though, that’s far down Wagner’s list of priorities.

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“You get that sheet of paper that you’re supposed to send in to the NBA and you get some feedback, where they rank you right now," Wagner said. “That’s really all I wanted — I knew I wasn’t a lottery pick or anything like that, so once I got that back, it was motivation.”

At the same time, he added, he was grateful to be on the radar and “going in the right direction,” especially after his slow start. A preseason wrist injury limited his progress, and his game took a while to come around. He still finished the season averaging 11.6 points and 5.6 rebounds per game and was the team’s top scorer late in the year when his shot really started to fall.

He proved valuable even when it didn’t. He led the team with 34 steals and played outstanding defense while his offense caught up, and he gained confidence while doing it.

“Coming into the college season, I kind of knew there were a lot of different things I had to adjust to," Wagner admitted. “I was willing to have some games where I wouldn’t have the best game individually, but was still trying to figure out some ways I could help the team win.

“For the first couple games, that was really the most important thing. When my shot wasn’t falling or when I [wasn't] having the best game offensively, which normally isn’t my game, I could still help the team win. I think I found a couple ways to do that, and I’m really proud that I did that.”

This year, he continued, is about taking the next step. He’s become a leader, one of many to have stepped up with point guard Xavier Simpson having moved on. He’s not worried about hurting feelings, something he and his teammates learned from Simpson — if something needs to improve, he’s going to say it — and he took the time during quarantine to watch film and work on his body to lead by example.

"I feel good where I am. I feel good with where I am in quarantine from a physical standpoint and in terms of getting better as a player, and I’m just ready to take the next step and help the team even more than last year," he said.

He fully expected the comparisons to his brother, former U-M standout Moritz, and had no problem with following him. He found out early he could compete at this level, and once he did, he continued to take off.

"You can work out individually all you want, but playing 5-on-5 is always a lot different,” he said. “Then adding to that … I had never played a college game before. I think those two things together caused me a little bit to struggle at the start."

Not this year, he said.

Last year ended in disappointment when the postseason was canceled, and Wagner, Livers and Co. have put in the work to make sure they’re prepared for whatever comes their way. They’re ready to show what they can do in a full (hopefully) season, starting practice tomorrow knowing there’s a lot of work to do.

If it’s his last season in a Michigan uniform — and it could well be — Wagner is determined to make it a great one.

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