Michigan Basketball: 5 key takeaways from Big Ten Media Days

Howard: Franz Wagner is like a five-star

During his time at the podium, Howard didn’t talk much about specific players but during his roundtable session, he opened up more especially when he was asked about Franz Wagner.

Wagner has been the biggest recruiting victory so far for Howard and it seems like landing the younger brother of Moritz Wagner will have a huge impact on the upcoming season.

Here’s what Howard said via Maize and Brew:

"“Franz is talented. Franz is a huge pickup for us. In my opinion, if Franz lived in the US, he would be equivalent to what today’s players are rated as five-star. He’s that good. To be almost 6-foot-9 at the wing position, he has a high IQ, he’s tough, he’s skilled, he can put the ball on the floor, he create his own shot and he’s not afraid to dunk on you.”"

It sounds like Wagner is just about guaranteed to start this season and if he’s as good defensively as Howard indicated Wednesday, it wouldn’t be shocking if he was the starting two-guard next month for the Wolverines.

This leads us to our next point about one of the top returners: Isaiah Livers.