Moritz Wagner still has one game in Tokyo to recommend himself for a new employer, at least. Maybe there will be even more, after all, the German basketball players around the Berlin NBA professional have the entry into the Olympic quarter-finals in their own hands, but a win against Australia on Saturday (10:20 a.m.) would be enough.
The 24-year-old Wagner is always motivated to almost over-motivated, and since Friday night he has another reason: his younger brother Franz will play in the NBA in the coming season, for the first time two German brothers will probably be in the top league compete in the world – with a little luck even together.
The goal is Orlando
The Orlando Magic selected 19-year-old Franz Wagner in eighth place in the draft, so far ahead, with Detlef Schrempf, only one German switched to the professional camp 36 years ago. In Orlando, Wagner expects a team in upheaval, in Jamahl Mosley a young, inexperienced coach has just taken over the team. In recent years, the Magic were far from the play-offs, the winger trained at Alba Berlin could now even be given a lot of responsibility in his first season.
Maybe it had to do with Moritz Wagner and his fiery attitude in the field that Orlando chose Franz Wagner. After all, the older of the two brothers was under contract with the Magic at the end of last season, it was his fourth NBA station in his third professional year. Moritz Wagner did well in Orlando, averaging eleven points in eleven games. However, his contract ended last season, he has not yet found a new club, Orlando should be interested.
Self-promotion with the national team
Moritz Wagner did very good self-promotion this summer, in the last qualifying game against Brazil he led the German team with 28 points almost single-handedly to Tokyo. He is also one of the best Germans at the Olympic tournament so far, his 17 points were particularly important in the group win against Nigeria.
Thanks to the narrow success against the Africans, the team of national coach Henrik Rödl was able to reach the quarter-finals on its own. Even in the event of a defeat against the still unbeaten Australians, the German team could still advance due to the complicated mode, the result of the previous game between Italy and Nigeria plays an important role.
[Höhepunkte, TV-Termine und Zeitplan der Olympischen Spiele hier auf einen Blick]
Rödl doesn’t even want to get involved in this variant, the many calculation models are “too complicated” for him.
In the round of the best eight, which Germany has not reached at the Olympics since 1992, the opponent could then be USA. Games against the American NBA stars are of course even more noticed and followed closely in the USA: Moritz Wagner is ideally placed to submit a strong application.
On his big night, he only sent a short video message to his younger brother from afar: “You deserve it. You dream about it all your life “I am speechless, enjoy the moment, I love you.”
