Michigan center Moritz Wagner took his name out of the 2017 NBA Draft on May 23rd. He will look to refine his game to get future draft security.
The work starts overseas.
The 20-year-old will play for the German National Team in the FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship. The games will be held in Greece from July 15th to July 23rd. All in all, it will be a five week commitment.
In the past, Michigan coach John Beilein has seen many players skip out on the NBA Draft and return to school, including Caris LeVert, Glenn Robinson III, MItch McGary, Trey Burke, and Tim Hardaway Jr. However, something about Wagner is different.
“He really values his experience here,” Beilein said to the media. “He values the degree from Michigan. He's coming from a different mindset. He could've gone pro right away. A lot of his peers that he plays with in Germany, they don't go to the United States to play. He's a real visionary and he's young. He's been here two years and he just loves it.”
Once Wagner returns from his trip overseas, it will be time to go to work. He will be in a bigger spotlight than every before.
“I’m not going to say he’s our best player,” Beilein added. “I’m going to say that I think we have a lot of talent on this team.”