Germany has been one of the surprise stories of EuroBasket 2022. They were drawn into a tough group with Slovenia, France, Lithuania, Hungary, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, they had an admirable run through the group and only lost 1 game to the Luka Doncic-led Slovenia.
They made it to the quarter-finals of EuroBasket before they ran into another juggernaut in the tournament with Giannis Antetokounmpo and his Greek national team. While the Germans have better depth, many expected Giannis to overpower them and take his team to the semi-finals. That did not happen, as the Germans had a red-hot shooting night to eliminate the Greeks with a 107-96 win.
The team had a strong start but put themselves firmly in control in the 3rd quarter, starting with a 20-1 run. That run was punctuated by Franz Wagner, who hit 2 threes, pulled down 4 rebounds, dished 1 assist, and even had 1 blocked shot. His play was crucial for Germany on both ends of the floor. He ended the game with 19 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block.
Highlights of Germany starting the 3rd quarter 20-1 vs. Greece 🔥pic.twitter.com/5v8EQAhtJz
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 13, 2022
Is Franz Wagner The Next Star Forward In The NBA?
Wagner is entering his sophomore season in the NBA with the Orlando Magic. While everybody had extremely high hopes for Magic draftee Jalen Suggs, Wagner became the star rookie over the last season as Suggs struggled to adjust to NBA basketball.
The 6’10” forward is the younger brother of Moritz Wagner and has the perfect frame and skill-set to be a successful forward in the NBA. He has great defensive ability and potential with an already reliable jumper and offensive game. If he can continue developing, he will be a crucial piece of the Orlando Magic’s rebuild alongside Paolo Banchero.
As a rookie, Wagner averaged 15.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.9 assists through 79 games. Not only was he durable, but he also averaged over 30 minutes each game. He got a lot of time on the court to adjust to the NBA as a rookie, and a sophomore jump may be what is coming next after his strong performance for Germany in EuroBasket.
