As the final whistle blows at Bercy Arena in Paris, one can’t help but wonder what could have been for the current world champions. Germany headed into this competition as one of the five strongest teams in the tournament. Many expected to see them win at least a medal at the showpiece as they had essentially the same team from a year ago that won the FIBA World Cup. So how did Germany cost themselves an Olympic medal?<\/p>\n
Germany was viewed as a dark horse to win a medal, perhaps reach the final, and secure an unlikely upset en route to winning gold. At the very least, Germany was expected to finally win a medal in Olympic men’s basketball. Standing in their way was the ‘Avengers<\/a>‘ team in Team USA, spearheaded by LeBron James<\/a> and Stephen Curry<\/a>. Serbia always had a chance with Nikola Joki\u0107<\/a> as their leader. France had the home crowd supporting their team, led by the reigning ROTY, Victor Wembanyama<\/a>. Canada was arguably the strongest side besides Team USA, with 10 NBA players on their roster.<\/p>\n Germany, led by Franz Wagner<\/a> and his brother Mo Wagner<\/a> as well as\u00a0Dennis Schr\u00f6der<\/a>, ultimately lost to Serbia 93-83 in the bronze medal game. These three players combined for 47 points Franz led the way with 19 points and nine rebounds. However, they struggled to stop Joki\u0107, who was predictably incredible, finishing with a 19-point, 12-rebound, 11-assist triple-double for his country. Vasilije Mici\u0107<\/a> and Bogdan Bogdanovi\u0107<\/a> added 19 points and 16 points, respectively.<\/p>\n Heading into this tournament, Germany decided to compete with basically the same team from the World Championships a year ago. It was a notable decision because they left out Isaiah Hartenstein<\/a> and Maxi Kleber<\/a>. Back in 2023, leaving off Hartenstein was an understandable decision. He saw limited playing time with the New York Knicks that year, primarily coming off the bench and starting only eight games.<\/p>\n In 2024, the decision to not call up Hartenstein was a head-scratcher. He had just had a breakout year for the Knicks. Hartenstein received increased playing time largely because of Mitchell Robinson<\/a>\u2019s injury. Robinson, the Knicks’ main defender, suffered an ankle injury in December 2023, sidelining him for several months until just before the playoffs.<\/p>\n Isaiah Hartenstein is everything you need in a big man…<\/p>\n True 7-footer. Elite rim protection metrics. Excellent rebounder\u2014particularly on the O-glass. Smooth playmaking hub. Brick wall screens. SOFT floater touch. He does it all and it translates to winning impact. pic.twitter.com\/oELnnYlGaj<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NBA University (@NBA_University) July 1, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\nContinuity or Controversy?<\/h3>\n
Continuity<\/h4>\n
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