Germany’s Easy Win Lets Franz Wagner Find His Rhythm
Everyone expected Germany to dominate Great Britain at EuroBasket 2025. It still hits differently when you actually see it happening. Franz Wagner, Tristan da Silva, and everyone else had their share as the Mannschaft made light work of Marc Steutel’s men.
The scary part? Germany played within themselves. Franz Wagner played somewhat heavier minutes than expected as his side rolled past Great Britain in emphatic style. With both Oscar and Tristan da Silva hitting double digit points, it was an all out assault at EuroBasket 2025.
It took about 7 minutes
Germany were kept somewhat in check by Great Britain in the opening exchanges of this one. The most recent win for the British at EuroBasket was against this opponent all the way back in 2013. It took about 7 minutes to realise there wouldn’t be a repeat of that in EuroBasket 2025.
The Orlando Magic duo of Franz Wagner and Tristan da Silva were ably aided by Daniel Theis in dishing out another dose of pain to Marc Steutel’s side. By the end of the first quarter the score was 32-19. That may seem an early time to call a game but the script has been all too familiar.
That’s not just for Great Britain’s woes. Germany have shown that it’s their sheer depth that enables them to push far beyond anyone once they get anything approaching a decent lead. The 2023 FIBA World Cup champions were in a different class once they decided to end this one. After that, it was just a glorified scrimmage.
This still might help Franz
The low stakes nature of an opponent of Great Britain’s level might have been exactly what Franz Wagner needed. His energy and totals at EuroBasket 2025 have been great so far and his averages are more than fine. The one thing the high energy demands of him had limited him to was getting his fine tuning done.
The Orlando Magic man had the ideal scenario here. For Tristan da Silva and many of the Germany supporting cast, it was also a chance for them to work out other ways to be effective on the floor. This may sound harsh on Great Britain but it’s acknowledging reality.
This was always going to be a facile win for Germany. When you know that going in, you’ve got to make the most of what that situation provides. That means working more on how Andreas Obst plays D. It means getting Daniel Theis to look more at how he kicks off a fast break from under his own basket. Fortunately, for Germany, it also means getting more looks at what does and doesn’t work.
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Not a rest-first approach
There was one question ahead of this game. How would Germany manage the usage of their stars? A tournament like EuroBasket 2025 is a marathon of sprints. This was an opportunity to park Franz Wagner and Dennis Schroder on the bench for the second half. That was the likes of Tristan da Silva, Andreas Obst, and Johannes Thiemann could get more reps.
Yet clearly Germany’s focus is on rhythm. Wagner and Dennis saw ample action after the break, albeit reduced. The goal clearly was on making sure Germany didn’t lose a step as a result of going too easy in their softest game of the tournament.
Considering what’s ahead, that makes a heap of sense. This is a side that expects to go very deep in the competition. Any opportunity to get better should be treated as such. Not that it was of any comfort to Great Britain as the gap between the sides just kept on climbing.
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Tristan da Silva of the Orlando Magic had a more featured role for Germany against Great Britain at EuroBasket 2025.
So what next?
The lone back to back of the tournament is out of the way. Germany get a day’s rest before facing Finland in the final game of group play on Wednesday. Mathematically, Germany can still finish outside the top two at the time of writing. Realistically, it would require a most unlikely combination of results for that to happen. If they beat Finland, and they will be favoured, then they win the group.
That means a EuroBasket 2025 last 16 game on Saturday that avoids both Serbia (pre-tournament favourites) and a most impressive Turkey team. Their opponent, likely Estonia or Portugal, will have the same rest as them but nowhere near the depth.
Anything other than a convincing walk into the quarter finals would be a huge surprise. Even if they only come second in the group, Franz Wagner and the rest of the gang will have too much for the likes of Latvia. Business will pick up soon, the Finland game on Wednesday is a taster of what to come. Great Britain meanwhile will end their journey against Montenegro the same day.
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