Moritz Wagner looking to be disrupting defensive force for Nets

When the Nets added Moritz Wagner, they didn’t get a needed shot-blocker.

But they did get a veteran backup to Day’Ron Sharpe. And a different look from any center they’ve had in years.

And maybe, just maybe, an ace recruiter for their next star.

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Wagner — signed away from the Magic, and younger brother Franz — isn’t going to replace the departed Nic Claxton’s rim protection. He can’t.

But he’s going to be a defensive disruptor, playing a style under Jordi Fernández that may fit his skills better than Orlando’s — which relied on elite athleticism and rebounding — ever did.

“I’ll be honest with you, I love this. I want to be disruptive. I want to be active on the ball,” Wagner, 29, said. “I don’t think it’s a secret — I’ve been in the league eight years — I’m not a shot-blocker. I contest shots and I give it my all, but I’m not Anthony Davis. I’m not going to beat people up on the rim.

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“So I like to be aggressive early, and I want to be disruptive and be able to make people speed up and take charges and stuff like that. So I’m actually extremely excited about that stuff because it plays a little more towards my strength. [Fernández] is super aggressive at the ball screen and stuff like that. We have all these quick guards, they’ll help you to eat up space. So it’s been super fun so far.”

It’s easy for Wagner to enjoy his time with rebuilding Brooklyn now, before the losses start. But while he’ll miss his brother, whose tenure in Orlando is going to be watched carefully all season,Wagner will be a fit both schematically and culturally.

The Nets struggled defensively even before dealing Claxton. Now they’re even more bereft of rim protection. But Fernández wants to play up at the level and be more aggressive further upcourt to force turnovers, unlike Orlando, which defended the rim and dominated the glass.

The Nets inked Wagner to a two-year, $19 million deal this summer understanding that he’s not going to be a shot-blocker, but a shotmaker, and a vocal defender.

For his part, Fernández doesn’t anticipate changing schemes but leaning even further into what the Nets do.

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“No, the reality is we have an identity defensively and we’re going to stick with what we believe works. … Then the more you grow, the more you can expand your coverages,” Fernández said. “So we’re going to be an aggressive team on both ends of the floor.”

Wagner should also feel comfortable living in New York.

He’s already been doing it.

“I’ve always loved New York. I love that I get an opportunity to play here, and at a point where this organization is trying to make the next steps to win. I’m excited to be here,” Wagner said.

“I’ve spent a lot of time in New York. This is somewhat of a home to me in America just because it reminds me a lot of where I’m from. Brooklyn is as close as it gets in the U.S. to Berlin. So I’m not necessarily new here. … I take the subway all the time. I love the subway. It’s so convenient, cheap when you go into Manhattan. So yeah, I’ve actually lived here for quite some time. So yeah, I love Brooklyn. I love New York.”

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His younger brother seemingly does as well. But just how much?

The elephant in the room is whether one Wagner could help recruit the other.

To date, the whole of the ill-fitting Franz Wagner-Paolo Banchero duo has been less than the sum of its parts. If Magic GM Jeff Weltman decides to break them up, the Nets could try to get the brothers back together.

Franz spoke Monday about missing his older brother already, never having played an NBA game without him as a teammate.

“It’s a work in progress. He spent three weeks down here in Orlando, it’s definitely been a little weird being alone at the house, to work [out] alone and stuff like that. Obviously it’s bittersweet,” Franz said. “I love playing with my brother, we shared a lot of cool memories here in Orlando together.”