Michigan Basketball: 3 former Wolverines Franz Wagner resembles

Iggy

Not as many will compare Wagner to Ignas Brazdeikis, but after watching the way Franz has attacked the basket playing for Germany, it reminds me of Iggy.

Not only did Iggy lead the Wolverines in scoring with just under 15 PPG, but he also shot 39 percent from 3-point range and was probably Michigan’s best spot-up shooter last season. He was particularly effective from the corner and Wagner will need to help fill his void.

Iggy made an average of 1.5 treys per game, which would be a reasonable expectation for Wagner. However, Franz could do more as a facilitator than Brazdeikis did last season, while Iggy is a better finisher than Wagner, at least for now.

But just as Iggy did last season, once Wagner gets respect from defenders on his 3-pointer, he can attack the basket and as he showed in Europe, he can finish.

If Franz can tap into that ability more, it’s possible he could have a bigger impact than most pundits are expecting. Something in the 11-12 range for scoring average seems more likely, but who knows, maybe he will be like Iggy and lead the Wolverines in scoring as a freshman.

Either way, the future is bright for Wagner and if he can closely resemble any of these three players, his addition will be huge for Juwan Howard and Michigan basketball.