Caleb Houstan talks about Michigan connection on Magic with Franz, Moritz Wagner

Former Michigan forward Caleb Houstan will have to get to know a lot of new faces on the Orlando Magic, but there are a couple that are already familiar to him. Franz Wagner and Moritz Wagner are two brothers and former Wolverines hoops stars currently on the Magic roster.

This past season, Houston got to know the pair because of their frequent visits back to Ann Arbor. As he gets set to enter his rookie season in the NBA, he will take comfort in the fact that he already has a couple of connections with his new teammates.

“Obviously knowing Franz and Mo, they came back to Michigan a lot last year,” Houstan said during his introductory press conference. “Just playing the open runs with them and chopping it up with them definitely helps a lot just having a familiar face coming in. It’s definitely good to see people that you recognize and know. It makes it a lot easier coming in.”

Franz Wagner was a rookie during last year’s NBA season after spending two years at Michigan. He ended up averaging 15.2 points per game along with 4.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists as he was named to the All-Rookie first team. Moritz Wagner finished his fourth season in the NBA and second with the Magic in 2021-22 with averages of nine points and 3.7 rebounds.

As for Houstan, he was the No. 10 overall prospect and No. 3 power forward in the 2021 class according to On3 Consensus prior to committing to Michigan. There he became the first freshman since Franz Wagner to start every game, as he averaged 10.1 points and four rebounds per contest. The Wolverines earned an 11 seed in the NCAA Tournament, where they advanced to the Sweet Sixteen before losing to Villanova.

The Magic didn’t select Caleb Houstan until the second round, as they opted to take Duke star Paolo Banchero with the No. 1 overall pick. Both players will get a chance to show off their skills when the NBA Summer League begins on July 7 in Las Vegas.