Lakers were quickly sold on Wagner

Michigan forward’s energy, intelligence to fit team’s culture.

LOS ANGELES — It was a threeon-three workout in early June, just a few hours before Game 2 of the NBA Finals. Moe Wagner shared a court with players from Texas Arlington, Missouri State, Connecticut, Western Michigan and Rhode Island.

The Lakers’ coaching staff and front office watched. Players Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart happened to be in the gym that day, too.

By the end of it, they were all smitten.

“He was competing, trashtalking, coaching from the floor,” Lakers coach Luke Walton said.

Added general manager Rob Pelinka: “The whole workout changed because of his spirit and energy. Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart were elbowing Earvin (Magic Johnson, president of basketball operations) and I that this guy would be fun to play with.”

The Lakers’ directive in this year’s draft was simple: They needed shooters who could improve their offense, having been one of the worst shooting teams in the NBA last year. But culture and character matter to them. They talk often about respecting who their players are as people and wanting a group that likes each other and can work well together. That has been a stumbling block for the Lakers in the past.

Wagner, whom the Lakers selected 25th overall in the NBA draft on Thursday night, fit both desires.

“We like his energy, his skill set, his intelligence; we like the fact that he played for a really good coach,” Walton

Lakers coach

‘We were really excited when he was still on the board at our pick’

said. “We feel like he will come in right away and help our team. We are building a culture here and he brings a lot to the table.

“As far as the passion he plays with, his unselfish nature, the way that he sprints the floor, all these things that we’ve seen on film and saw live a couple of times when he worked out for us. We were really excited when he was still on the board at our pick.”

All three players the Lakers selected in Thursday’s draft have foreign ties. Isaac Bonga, the 39th pick, is German like Wagner, but stayed in Europe to pursue basketball. Svi Mykhailiuk, also a standout shooter, is Ukranian and played college basketball at Kansas.

For Wagner, a 6-foot-11 forward, that meant waking up at 3 a.m. to watch NBA games. It meant being inspired by fellow German Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks.

In a Twitter post, Joe Sanderson, Michigan’s strength and conditioning coach, said Wagner was a scrawny 17-yearold who arrived at Michigan in 2015 with “a huge personality and big dreams.” He was just 205 pounds back then (and has put on 40 pounds since).

During Michigan’s run to the national championship game last season, Wagner became its centerpiece. He showed off his shooting ability, possessing an especially productive jumper for his size. Wagner took 63 three-pointers last season and made nearly 40 percent of them.