Men's basketball: Three takeaways from Germany vs. Japan

Germany got its Olympic tenure in Paris off to a strong start with a 97-77 victory over Japan on Saturday. 

Just one year removed from winning the FIBA World Cup, Germany is a strong contender to make a deep run in the Olympic tournament and challenge for a medal. 

As expected, Germany dominated against an upcoming and ever-improving Japan. Here are three takeaways from the game. 

1. Dennis Schroder continues to be elite on the international stage

Schroder has developed a reputation for taking his performances to another level when representing his country. Against Japan, he ended the game with 13 points, 12 assists and two rebounds while shooting 50% from the field. When playing under FIBA rules, Schroder is one of the most dangerous pick-and-roll weapons in the world. 

Germany's captain picked right up where he left off around this time last year. If any team has aspirations of challenging for gold, figuring out how to shut down Schroder must be near the top of their to-do list. 

2. Scarily, Germany can shoot better on the perimeter 

As a team, Germany shot 38% from the perimeter, converting 11 of its 29 attempts. However, Franz Wagner hit 2-of-8, and Schroder went 1-of-6. Germany's two best players both had difficult outings from three-point range. 

Sooner or later, they will hit their stride and find their rhythm from deep. When that happens, Germany will be a legitimate three-level scoring threat with some of the best offensive weapons in the tournament. 

3. Japan won the offensive rebounding battle; Germany must clean that up 

Japan found a way to dominate on the offensive glass, ending the game with a 12-5 advantage when creating second-chance opportunities. As such, it also won the second-chance points battle. While Germany was able to secure a win, it must do a better job of boxing out and controlling its defensive glass. Rebounding is the best way to dictate the tempo of a game and stop a team from embarking on a deflating run.

Other potential contenders would have seen their struggles on the defensive glass and began licking their lips. Germany has some work to do to clean up that aspect of their game.