Franz Wagner Analyzes What Playing Against "Skinny Luka" Is Like

Team Germany is officially headed to the FIBA EuroBasket Finals. After a disappointing showing in the 2024 Paris Olympics, they’ve bounced back in a big way. The path to the Finals hasn’t been easy, and Germany’s biggest win was against Luka Doncic and Team Slovenia. 

Germany took home the win 99-91 in a game that came down to the wire. Germany was led by two of their NBA players, Franz Wagner and Daniel Theis. Theis led the team with 22 points and nine rebounds while Wagner chipped in 20 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. 

For Slovenia, Luka continued his incredible EuroBasket tournament with a monster game. Luka led all players with 36 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists. Still, it wasn’t enough to get Slovenia past the well-rounded German team. 

After the game, Wagner was asked about what playing against this new and improved “Skinny Luka” was like. 

Wagner remarked, “He’s like that all the time. I see no difference, really. Extremely good player. If he got a little bit better, he might, but it’s tough to tell with him.”

This is interesting because everyone is assuming that Luka’s new body is going to take him to another level. Is this just a media narrative? Wagner didn’t seem to think that this version of Luka was any different than the old one. He is still incredible and nearly impossible to stop. 

It’s worth noting, however, that the FIBA game is much shorter than the NBA. This FIBA EuroBasket Tournament is also much shorter than the NBA season. 

Day to day, Luka’s new body might not make a huge difference. He was already a top-5 player in the league while many considered him “out of shape.” What may change, though, is Luka’s stamina and recovery. 

When Luka willed the Mavericks to the 2024 NBA Finals, he had very little left in the tank. He was often only able to play hard on the offensive side of the ball and was fairly critiqued for it. 

With his new body and conditioning, Luka will have an easier time lasting a full NBA season and multiple playoff rounds. He will also generally be better conditioned to play both sides of the ball. 

These may not be noticeable by Franz Wagner right now, but the entire NBA will notice it soon enough.