Led by Dennis Schröder and Franz Wagner, Germany secured a huge Olympic win against the host country France. With a giant frontcourt of Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert, France poses a challenge in the paint. Germany had no problem with that and got the 85-71 win.
None of Germany's bigs put up huge numbers—starting bigs Daniel Theis and Johannes Voigtmann only combined for 13 points and 13 rebounds—but France had no answer for Dennis Schröder and Franz Wagner.
Schröder always elevates his game when he plays for his national team. For Magic players, Wagner's performance is of more interest, however. He stepped up as well, finishing the game with 26 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. Wagner brought his shooting struggles to the Olympics but made two of his five 3-point attempts against France.
Wagner put on a show against France
Going up against a defensive combination of Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert is no easy thing to do. Franz Wagner was not afraid, though. He even drove straight to the rim with Wembanyama right in front of him. As if that wasn't enough yet, Wagner also took on four French players for another dunk.
Franz Wagner and Team Germany looked ready to make a statement and defend their win at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Everyone has been talking about the USA and Canada with their legions of NBA players as the favorites to win gold, but they have some real competition out there.
Wagner's performance unsurprisingly drew attention from people in and around the NBA on social media. The Ringer's Kevin O'Connor made a bold statement on X.
Franz “Top 20” Wagner…coming soon @ChrisVernonShow pic.twitter.com/Wn5dMa5Auq
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) August 2, 2024
The Magic have received some criticism lately for the max extension they gave Wagner. It is an overpay, according to some people, and Wagner will struggle to live up to it. The Magic seem to feel quite differently about that, believing that Wagner can grow into an All-Star-level player.
While that still remains to be seen, Wagner has shown flashes already. He did so last season, averaging career-highs despite his terrible shooting, and while playing for the German national team. The question with Wagner is whether he can be the second-best player on a contending team in the NBA. If he can't be, the Magic are in trouble. If Wagner proves to be a third option at best, Orlando is paying him a fortune while also having to go and get someone else to be the number two option next to Paolo Banchero.
Wagner is still young, however. At 22, he is already one of the top two players on a national team that is undefeated in the Olympics so far. As he gets older, he will only get better, and his 3-point shooting is far from a lost cause at this point. Top 20 in the league sounds too generous for Wagner so far, but there is reason to believe that the Magic are right and he can be a top option on a good playoff team.