In March, Moritz Wagner became a household name, as he dominated the NCAA Tournament and led the University of Michigan Wolverines all the way to the championship game.The 21 year old checks in at 6’11” and has an ability to stretch the floor, which is seemingly something that every modern day big man has the ability to do. He averaged 14.6 points and 7.1 rebounds during his junior year at Michigan, shooting 52.8 percent from the field and 39.4 percent from three-point range."Selecting Moe Wagner was a big target for Magic," Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said shortly after the team made the pick. "When you build a team, you have to have pillars that you build on. For us we are sticking to those core principles, which are guys that are high IQ basketball player that play the game the right way and can shoot and have length and have versatility and play with toughness.”"The game, as you know, requires bigs that can spread the floor,” he added. “What we noticed in all the games we went to in person is, he is a tremendous passer and great screener in pick-and-roll situations, coached by John Beilein, who is a terrific coach. And Luke felt that when we had him in our building that he had off-the-charts basketball IQ.”Wagner was similarly excited to hear his name called by Los Angeles, where he will most likely fit in well due to their style of play."They obviously are a flashy franchise, they like to play fast," Wagner said at the time. "Coach [Luke] Walton used to play, he is a player's coach, he wants his players to play and be confident, and they focus on playing fast, and that is something I am very excited to prove."While Pelinka and president of basketball operations Magic Johnson were both in attendance during Wagner’s pre-draft workouts with the team, a couple current Lakers players were also watching intently. In fact, they might have had an impact on the pick ultimately being made.“Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart were actually at Moe Wagner’s workout, and both of them were elbowing Earvin and I, saying, ‘Man, this guy would be fun to play with. He plays with energy, he’s light on his feet,'” Pelinka said after the draft, per Ron Gutterman of Lakers Nation.

“They were both texting me after we picked him, saying, ‘That’s another great culture piece for us,’” the GM revealed.

Kuzma (last year’s 27th pick) and Hart (last year’s 30th pick) were selected by Pelinka and Johnson and had fantastic rookie campaigns for the Lakers after earning high-minute roles. Therefore, it seems more likely than not that Wagner will be given an opportunity to showcase his skills on the court during his rookie campaign.

Given the fact that Brook Lopez is an unrestricted free agent and might not return as well as the idea that the Lakers might not match whatever restricted free agent Julius Randle is offered by another club, some minutes could immediately open up for Wagner.