When Franz Wagner completed his rookie season, Orlando Magic fans were understandably excited.
Nobody knew what to make of the versatile forward the Magic took with the eighth pick. He seemed to be short of the star potential the Magic were looking for. But early in that season, he showed he was a different kind of player.
Just nobody quite knew what his ceiling might be. Nobody knew if he was truly a player the team could build around yet. And Paolo Banchero was coming to the team as the No. 1 pick. Things were a lot more uncertain.
They became a lot less uncertain after Wagner made his national team debut at Eurobasket.
Following his rookie season, Wagner helped Germany win a bronze medal, averaging 15.2 points per game and 4.0 rebounds per game while shooting 53.1 percent from the floor and 46.3 percent from three. It was a summer that confirmed Wagner's potential as a growing star in the league.
Orlando had something more than just a player who could fit in. It was about trying to coax more from Wagner and help him realize how good he could be.
Every summer since -- from a gold medal at the World Cup in 2023 and a fourth-place finish at the Olympics in 2024 -- Wagner has dutifully returned to his national team. And each summer, he has used his national team service as a launching pad in his career -- let alone a chance to win some hardware and put up sterling stats.
What will his next evolution be at Eurobasket this summer?
Germany officially named Franz Wagner to their roster for the intercontinental tournament. He will be joined by second-year player Tristan da Silva, playing on the national team for the first time. Goga Bitadze is also slated to play for Georgia as the tournament nears its beginning in late August.
After a disappointing fourth-place finish last summer in Paris at the Olympics, Germany is looking to bounce back and reclaim its spot atop Europe in a crowded field. It should make for a great tournament.
Franz Wagner will be joined by familiar names to Magic fans. Dennis Schroder returns along with roster stalwarts Isaac Bonga, Andreas Obst, Daniel Theis, Johannes Theimann and Johannes Voigtmann. But all eyes will be on Wagner once again.
This summer will be a chance for Wagner's new evolution.
Franz Wagner has used national team to make a leap
Every summer, Franz Wagner has seemingly turned heads with his play with the German national team. It has become clockwork to see him take significant leaps.
Sometimes that leap is right through France's defense and over Victor Wembanyama, as he did in a game in last summer's Olympics. Franz Wagner has taken on a bigger and bigger role as the face of Germany basketball, taking the baton from Dirk Nowitzki.
Wagner averaged 15.2 points per game at Eurobasket 2022. He followed that up with 16.8 points per game and 6.5 rebounds per game in the gold medal run at the FIBA World Cup in 2023. That culminated with 18.5 points per game and 5.8 rebounds per game in the Olympics last summer.
Each summer, Wagner seemed to be getting better and more comfortable in his stardom. That translated to the NBA's regular season, where Wagner's scoring increased and he looked more and more like a star.
His play with his national team has been valuable to his development. It has given him the confidence to be the best player he can be. He has used it both to improve his shot and find a way to play and succeed without his shot.
He has used it to cement his stardom.
Wagner needs to make another leap
Franz Wagner's participation with the national team was welcomed early in his career. More reps in high-stakes games was a good thing for a young player. Especially a young player still discovering his potential and ceiling.
What will now be four straight summers playing for his national team has some fans a bit frustrated. Wagner has continued to grow by leaps and bounds, but his struggles with his shot -- which emerged during his run at the World Cup and Olympics -- persisted.
Everyone wants Wagner to get more time to focus on himself and prepare for the NBA season. And, most importantly, work on his wayward shot.
Playing for his national team has always been important to Wagner. A big reason he and his brother did the documentary was to shine a light on the NBA lifestyle for their fans in Germany. It has meant a lot to give back to German basketball.
But Wagner has always used these tournaments to grow his game. He has gotten better each offseason and his runs in international competitions have only added to his skill set.
Wagner is not an All-Star yet, but he enters this tournament this summer as an emerging star. But he still has areas he needs to grow.
This is where Wagner can continue to grow as a leader, now established through three tournaments as one of Germany's best players. When he plays well, Germany wins medals.
This is where Wagner can test how much his work on his shot and other areas of his game has grown. Wagner has had almost three months since the end of the Magic's season to reset and work on his game. Nothing cements gains quite like competition and high-pressure games.
Wagner has always become better and returned to Orlando with more confidence after these tournaments. This is another chance for him to grow.
While everyone is eager to see if Wagner can improve his shot, we do not yet know what Wagner's next evolution will be. That will come with how he plays at Eurobasket this year. Wagner has always taken a major leap in these tournaments.
The question is what kind of leap will he take this time?