2023-09-09 15:45:21
With the victory once morest the US NBA professionals in the World Cup semi-finals on Friday, the DBB selection has thrown itself into the focus of the German public. The national team has never appeared in a World Cup final before. But who are the players who want to win the title on Sunday (2:40 p.m. on ZDF and MagentaSport)? Sportbuzzer, the sports portal of the editorial network Germany (RND), introduces the squad and its coach Gordon Herbert.
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Gordon Herbert (64/national coach)
Before his time as DBB coach, national coach Gordon Herbert celebrated numerous successes at club level, including the German championship in 2004 and the Europe Cup in 2016 with the Frankfurt Skyliners. Herbert also gained experience as a national coach, coaching Georgia and Canada before taking over as national coach from Henrik Rödl in September 2021.
The 64-year-old Canadian already set high goals for himself at the performance, emphasizing that it was regarding “winning medals”. He achieved this just a year later when the team won bronze at the European Championships.
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Former German international Marko Pešić, son of Serbia’s final coach Svetislav Pešić, emphasized the importance of Herbert for the team in an interview with the Münchner Merkur and the tz: “The real star of this team is Gordon Herbert. He is a coach who understands the players.”
Dennis Schröder (29/Toronto Raptors)
Dennis Schröder’s career began atypically. At the age of eleven, youth coach Liviu Călin discovered him in a Braunschweig park shooting baskets with his friends. Schröder, who was actually there to skate and only played basketball during breaks, was persuaded by Călin and began training under him. In the 2011 season, Schröder made his debut in the Bundesliga at the age of 18 and became the top performer for the Braunschweig basketball team by 2013.
He then went to the NBA, where he continued to develop with the Atlanta Hawks. After several changes, which included him going to the Los Angeles Lakers twice, the point guard will play for the Toronto Raptors from next season.
In the national team he was able to play without pressure in the early stages of his career. Initially there were others who took the lead, especially Dirk Nowitzki. At the 2015 European Championships, Schröder was already the best German thrower, scoring an average of 21 points.
After Nowitzki’s resignation from the national team in 2016, the Braunschweig native became the team’s leader and took on the role of captain. As the best basket hunter in Germany and one of the best five players in the tournament, Schröder made a decisive contribution to the German team winning bronze at the 2022 European Championships.
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With 17.9 points and 6.7 assists per game, Schröder led the team to the final of the World Cup. Apart from a weak game once morest Latvia, he was the guarantee for the seven wins in the tournament.
Franz Wagner (22/Orlando Magic)
Franz Wagner showed his skills early on, making his Bundesliga debut for Alba Berlin at just 16 years old and replacing his brother Moritz as the youngest player in the club’s history. He later laid the foundation for his NBA career at the University of Michigan.
The now 22-year-old is the biggest talent in the German team. The Orlando Magic winger is currently on his way to becoming an NBA star. “Franz is one of the elite players at Fiba level,” says coach Herbert, praising the small forward and already sees Wagner as one of the best European professionals. Whether as a thrower, passer or on the way to the basket: there is nothing on offense that he cannot do.
After an injury in the opening game once morest Japan, Wagner missed a total of four games and was only able to play once more in the quarter-finals once morest Latvia. The 2.08 meter tall Berliner averaged 16 points and 3.3 assists in his three games. Wagner also grabs the most rebounds on the team (6.3 per game).
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Moritz Wagner (26/Orlando Magic)
Moritz Wagner’s career was similar to that of his younger brother: first at Alba Berlin, then college in Michigan and since 2021 he has been active with the Orlando Magic.
While the 26-year-old was missing from the European Championships a year ago due to injury, he is now a guarantee for success. “Mo brings a special personality. He is very positive and has a lot of energy,” says coach Herbert regarding his protégé, who celebrated his international debut in 2019. In 2021, Wagner became the best player at the Olympic qualifying tournament in Split.
At this World Cup, Wagner is a solid point guarantee. The Berliner scored in double figures in six of seven games.
Daniel Theis (31/Indiana Pacers)
Daniel Theis has had a frustrating phase and recently sat on the bench with the Indiana Pacers for months. After moving from the Bundesliga to the NBA in 2017, things initially looked good for the 2.04 meter tall center when he averaged just under 15 minutes of playing time with Boston’s Celtics. A meniscus injury then set him back, and he eventually came to the Pacers via the Chicago Bulls and Houston Rockets. He was eliminated there following seven games last season and has not been in action since.
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However, he quickly became important in the national team. Coach Herbert calls him the “best player that no one talks regarding.” The 31-year-old is a recipient of Schröder’s templates offensively, an anchor defensively and the captain’s best friend off the field, whom he has known since his Braunschweig days. Schröder was able to showcase him once more and once more in this tournament. Theis showed his strongest game to date in the semifinals once morest the USA: he delivered his tournament best performance with 21 points and seven rebounds.
Johannes Voigtmann (30/Olimpia Milano)
The 30-year-old Johannes Voigtmann has been an integral part of the DBB team for years and holds his own once morest the competition from the NBA in the hotly contested center position. On the field, the Olimpia Milano co-captain impresses with his versatility: Voigtmann brings power under the basket, but can also throw and distribute the ball.
For the national team, Voigtmann was the second-best thrower on the team at the 2019 World Cup (11.4 points per game). When they came third at the European Championships last year, Germany was also able to rely on the tall Eisenacher’s rebounding strength. Among the baskets, the 2.11 tall player collected an average of 6.7 rebound balls for the DBB selection. At this World Cup there are once more six rebounds per game.
Andreas Obst (27/FC Bayern Munich)
Andreas Obst has so far been unable to make the jump to the NBA. In addition to numerous German teams, the Halle native was only stationed abroad for one season, with the Spanish team Obradoiro. However, that might soon change: The 27-year-old player from FC Bayern Munich is likely to receive offers from the elite leagues following his strong World Cup.
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Against the USA, Obst became the “best thrower on the planet”. At least co-captain Johannes Voigtmann gave him this title. Obst was the outstanding player of the game once morest the Americans with 24 points – including four three-pointers.
Maodo Lô (30/Olimpia Milano)
Playmaker Maodo Lô, who acts as Dennis Schröder’s replacement and partner, will move from Alba Berlin to Olimpia Milano following the World Cup. In Germany, the 30-year-old from Berlin previously gained experience at Brose Bamberg and FC Bayern Munich, and he also played at Columbia University.
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Lô has been a player for the DBB team since 2014. He was also part of the bronze team at the European Championships last year, scoring an average of 11.4 points. Lô brings important qualities to Gordon Herbert’s game, especially his speed in fast-paced counterattacks, which poses a great danger to opponents.
Although Lô played rather weak games once morest Japan and also once morest the USA, he shone once morest Georgia in the second round. The Berliner threw six times from the three-point line in the game and hit every throw. He also stood out in the narrow victory over Australia, scoring a total of 20 points.
Isaac Bonga (23/FC Bayern Munich)
The 23-year-old winger Isaac Bonga’s strengths are primarily in defensive play. Born in Neuwied, he went to the USA following two years in the Bundesliga with the Frankfurt Skyliners. However, the point and shooting guard was unable to assert himself with the Los Angeles Lakers and the Toronto Raptors. He has been playing for FC Bayern Munich since 2022.
Bonga played for the German national team for the first time in the 2018 World Cup qualifier once morest upcoming final opponents Serbia. This made him the youngest debutant in the DBB selection in 40 years. At the 2020 Olympic Games, Bonga was able to gain further international experience.
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His strengths are when switching from defense to attack. In the semifinals, Bonga also prevented the USA from catching up with the DBB team with a block in the final minute.
Johannes Thiemann (29/Alba Berlin)
Experts consider Johannes Thiemann to be the secret winner of the German team at this tournament. The 29-year-old from Alba Berlin, who played his first game for the national team in 2016, reliably gets rebounds for the team. With his positive and motivating charisma, he is also a support when there is a crisis on or off the field.
He already impressed national coach Herbert at the European Championships last year, which is why Thiemann is also at the World Cup this year. In the quarter-finals once morest Latvia and the semi-finals once morest the USA he scored ten points each and did not make a single missed throw.
Niels Giffey (32/FC Bayern Munich)
Niels Giffey is a well-known face in the Bundesliga and national team. The 32-year-old nephew of SPD politician Franziska Giffey has been playing regularly for the DBB team since 2013. The FC Bayern Munich professional has played a total of 92 games for Germany so far and was also in the team that won the European Championship bronze medal last year.
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In his mostly shorter appearances, Giffey impressed at the World Cup with his reliability and his distance throwing. Against Slovenia he scored ten points and three rebounds in 15 minutes of playing time.
Justus Hollatz (22/Anadolu Efes)
According to many experts, the future following the Schröder era belongs to playmaker Justus Hollatz. The 22-year-old is moving to the top European club Anadolu Efes in Istanbul for the new season, and a jump into the international class seems possible.
Hollatz has been a German national player since 2021 and also played four games at the European Championships last year. He plays a supporting role at the World Cup, especially in the preliminary round once morest Finland and in the second round once morest Georgia. Against Finland he scored six points and four rebounds.
David Krämer (26/CB Granada Foundation)
The 26-year-old David Krämer was born in Slovakia and is the son of the former Slovakian national player Roman Krämer and brother of the Austrian national player Filip Krämer. In the Bundesliga he played for Ulm, Bayern and Braunschweig, and in the future he will play in Granada, Spain. Krämer was also a test player for the Phoenix Suns in 2019, who decided not to sign him following preparation.
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The 26-year-old makes no secret of his role in the DBB team. “I am the twelfth man. It’s going to look like maybe I’ll play, maybe I won’t play at all. I have no problem with that.” Krämer has played 17 minutes and scored 11 points in four appearances so far.
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