The Good
There is a lot to like about Mortiz Wagner as a prospect.
Wagner is one of the elite 3-point shooters in all of this year’s class. He does all that as a center. Wagner has a nice stroke from the top of the key and has the ability to catch and shoot and shoot off the dribble.
In the past two seasons at Michigan, he has shot 39.5 percent from three. He has done this while shooting 274 threes during those two years. He is not afraid to take his shot and will knock it down with confidence.
Wagner is not afraid of the big moment either. He has performed well in the most important games in college. He shot 40.3 percent from three in conference games during his career and was a 2018 NCAA All-Tournament player.
But there is more to Wagner as a prospect than just his shooting.
Wagner’s driving abilities are underrated and flourish after a few made threes. He has a surprisingly good handle for a big man and has the ability to dribble up the court during fast break situations.
Wagner is a solid rebounder, with a defensive rebound percentage of 24.7 percent and a total rebound percentage of 15.7 (good for second and fifth in the Big Ten respectively).
And while Wagner is not known for his defense, he uses his 6-foot-10 body well and led the Big Ten last year in defensive win shares at 2.6. He was third in the Big Ten in defensive rating as Michigan gave up 92.3 points per 100 possessions with Wagner in the game.
All in all, he is not just a shooter. While this is his defining feature as a prospect, he can and has done more on the floor. And while the other aspects of his game are not as polished as his three, he has shown the ability to drive, post up, pass, rebound, and defend.