I never made an inference on Franz, given that he’s an individual whose brother followed (and enjoyed) the path we’re discussing.
What I’m saying is that at large, kids don’t leave European clubs to play college ball.
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You’re setting yourself up for a disappointment of your thinking Franz will be playing Iggy type minutes next year. Iggy was a higher level recruit, physically developed, and already 20 when he stepped on campus. He also was better off the dribble and could finish well with both hands and also had experience being the top offensive option against elite competition in prep school. Iggy was one of the most college ready recruits to ever play here. Franz and Wilson are similar level recruits and I’d expect both to be in the rotation on the wings with maybe some time at the 2
not iggy production, but he is physically and competition wise ahead of wilson IMO, if he doesn’t play 30 mins he’s playing 25 mins
and if he commits, id put a decent wager on him outproducing wilson in year 1
I would think for European kids getting paid to play basketball as a professional (before coming over to the NBA) would be more appealing than playing for free in college. I don’t think there’s a real developmental advantage to playing college in the States vs. the Euro leagues.
In Franz’s case, if Alba is really invested in his development, it might be hard for him to turn that down to play at Michigan. Selfishly, I hope I’m wrong but I will be surprised if he comes to Ann Arbor.
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I guess Michigan is going with the “acclimate to the US” angle.
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Wilson is older and more physically developed/ physically bigger, and though he doesn’t play against competition as good as Alba’s top team like Wagner, Wagner does very little at that level, and Wilson would IMO put up comparable numbers if not better due to his size and physical development. They have comparable numbers when playing comparable competition (Franz on Alba’s developmental teams and Wilson on the high level AAU).
wagner averaging 10 mins a game and recently (forgot who posted his numbers) has been having multiple games in doubles figures as high as 20+ points in a game and logging higher minutes than his average
just won best young player in professional german basketball on a team in the euro cup finals where derrick walton, former NBA player is getting limited mins.
we agree to disagree here. i like wagners upside more in year 1
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He averages 4-5 points game on the top club and plays roughly 10-11 minutes a game. The games in double figures are on a lower level not the top Alba team. Check the statistics on the game logs, he doesn’t do much when he’s in, but he’s only 17 so that shouldn’t be a surprise.
fair enough, if and when the time comes, lets make a wager
Based on the posts in this thread, where he actively argues that Franz should or will stay in Germany, I hereby decree that @MoeSWagner must change his user name!! 
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I agree with your post, but Brazdeikis was 19 until the 8th of January.
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I keep thinking if we are waiting on freshman to come and save us this season we may be in for a major disappointment and in trouble. As many have said there will be an adjustment to not only the college level but to JB’s system on top of playing defense. Better hope the sophomores take the leap. But I am all for getting them ready for prime time as soon as possible to create depth.
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That’s not quite true - he’s averaging 10 mins in Eurocup and more in the domestic league. It’s the same team (slightly different rosters as some players (like Derrick Walton) joined the domestic team after rosters were set for Eurocup), but different leagues.
They played domestically two days ago, with their “stars” like Peyton Siva, Derrick Walton, and Luke Sikma playing, and Franz got 19 minutes.
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Lol Hey I like him a lot. I just think expectations should be reasonable for him. If he does come it’ll be a huge adjustment
Eh, I feel good about a guy being able to adjust when he’ll be playing against weaker competition by coming here.
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Oh ok, the websites with Euro league info are hard to follow lol. I still stand behind my assessment as I think he’s a similar level recruit to Wilson, the rivals and 247 guys have said he’s a top 50 type recruit.
He’d have to adjust to playing more minutes and in an entirely different system, not to mention the culture shock of going from being a pro in Germany to a college student in Ann Arbor. That’s a lot
Beat me to it. Franz has also raised his 3 pt% to 40 while playing more minutes. He’s also defending grown men already. I’m not worried about him adjusting to the college game. He’ll appreciate the shorter 3 pt line.
It bears repeating that Derrick Walton is coming off the bench for Franz’s team. He was a productive starter at Michigan as a freshman.
He averages 1.7 3pt attempts per game and makes 0.69 per game. He’ll have to maintain that level (40%) with significantly higher usage to be effective which his stats with the development teams don’t show. He also plays less than 1/3 of the teams total minutes and averages 1 rebound a game and .5 an assist a game, he doesn’t do much while on the floor.
Again its a big adjustment to going from a back end of the bench guy to an effective starter. Put that on top of moving 3000 miles to a different country, becoming a 1st year college student and learning an entirely different system. That’s not some easy adjustment
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He’s no longer a back end of the bench guy. He’s become a key reserve and his numbers have improved. Those things go hand in hand, as does the fact that it’s his first year on the senior team. He’s on a really good trajectory for a 17 year old.
Not only is he showing significant improvement, he’s getting professional level coaching and serious competition. Basketball wise, he should have an easier transition than just about any freshman.
How difficult it will be adjusting to a new country and culture is purely speculative, but he has a leg up there too. Moe can give him the benefit of his experience and his parents also have insight on what it was like for Moe to adjust.