Top 5 Unicorns in the 2018 NBA Draft

#5 Moritz Wagner

Moritz Wagner

Height: 6-10 (2.08m)

Weight: 235lb (107kg)

Wingspan: 7-0 (2.13m)

Date of Birth: April 26, 1997

College: Michigan, Jr.

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Moritz Wagner is definitely the exception on this list. First, he is the only one not coming off his freshman year. Second, he played for a professional team; he had a minor role for the German club Alba Berlin before moving to America and joining Michigan.

He didn’t become a main rotation player until his sophomore season, when he averaged a solid 12.1 points in 23.9 minutes. His junior year wasn’t too special either, until the conference tournament. Wagner had a standout performance in the quarterfinals with 20 points, 13 rebounds (tournament single-game high), 2 blocks and a steal. He led Michigan to win the tournament and was named the MVP.

In the following NCAA tournament, Michigan made it all the way to the national finals, thanks to another fantastic game from Wagner. The German scored 24 points, along with 15 rebounds and 3 steals in the semifinals. His all-around performance awarded him a place in the Final Four All-Tournament team.

Riding the wave of his recent success, Wagner declared for the 2018 NBA draft. Unlucky for him, recent trends show teams prefer to draft players as young as they can. Having played three years in college, Wagner is at a disadvantage in comparison to fellow draft entrants. He will probably be picked late in the first round or early in the second and it will be up to him to prove he can be a real unicorn in the NBA.