Once considered a castoff with the Los Angeles Lakers, Moritz Wagner has finally gotten the chance to showcase his skills with the Washington Wizards.
In the summer of 2019, a lot of major moves were made in order to bolster a lot of teams with championship aspirations.
One of those major moves was the deal that sent Anthony Davis from the New Orleans Pelicans to the Los Angeles Lakers where he would get the chance to team up with Lebron James.
The headline of the deal was Davis going to LA and Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart and a few picks going to New Orleans. However, along with sending these guys out, the Lakers had to send out a few more guys in order to make room for Davis’ salary.
Being aware of this, the Washington Wizards front office hopped into this deal, acquiring Moritz Wagner, Isaac Bonga and Jermerrio Jones for virtually nothing.
The highlight of the guys that the Wizards brought in, was clearly Wagner. A 2018 1st round pick, Wagner had fallen out of favor in the Lakers rotation rather quickly in his rookie year. He only averaged 10 minutes a game in year one, before being shipped to the Wizards.
It was not necessarily that the Lakers thought of Wagner as a “bust”. But when you have a developmental rookie playing for a team in win-now mode, it’s hard to work him into the rotation. (Plus, if you have the chance to trade for Anthony Davis, I think you do whatever you can to get him).
Coming over from LA, it was hard to peg what exactly the Wizards would be getting out of Wagner, but since his arrival, he has shown that he has some serious upside. Coming to a team that would be able to develop him and give him a lot of minutes is exactly what Wagner needed.
This season, Wagner has seen a breakthrough of sorts, averaging 11.6 points and 5.8 rebounds while shooting 59 percent from the field and 39 percent from three. His per 36 numbers are even more impressive as he is averaging 20.4 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. Moe has shown that he can be a very prototypical stretch 5 in the NBA, with his ability to rebound the basketball and stretch out to the three-point line.
Wagner has brought a lot of flair to the second unit as an energy guy off the bench. His passion and work ethic have been just another quality addition as Tommy Sheppard looks for guys who can help reshape this Washington Wizards culture.
With a Wizards team that has had issues with bench play in the past, Wagner has been a diamond in the rough thus far. Adding a guy for nothing who is now going to be looked at as the backup 5 for the foreseeable future is a huge win.
Still just 22, Wagner will get the chance to continue to develop next to the likes of Rui Hachimura, Thomas Bryant, Troy Brown Jr., Isaac Bonga and Jerome Robinson who will make up this young core.
With the looming return of All-Star Point Guard, John Wall and the continued excellent play of franchise star, Bradley Beal, this team is trending in the right direction.
This young group will continue to serve under the tutelage of Beal and Wall and will have to be depended on. Moe Wagner is just another example of a low-risk, high-reward addition that is going to make this Washington Wizards team competitive.
With still half a season to go, Wagner will continue to get the chance to show why he belongs in the Wizards rotation. If he continues to play at a high level like he currently is, he will continue to be the Washington Wizards’ guy at the center spot.
With a team that is looking to get back into the playoff picture next season, the Wizards will need guys like Moe Wagner to give them quality minutes off the bench. With some added time to develop and work on his game, it appears, for now, that Wagner is up for the challenge.