COLOGNE (Germany) - Germany began their preparation campaign without Franz and Moritz Wagner and Daniel Theis, who are unable to play for their national team due to their NBA free agent status. Additionally, Johannes Thiemann and Nick Weiler-Babb are not yet fully fit to assist the World Champions.
Les Bleus arrived in Cologne in high spirits after a significant win over Türkiye earlier this week. Both France and Germany were also reminiscing about another memorable game before this friendly—a 2022 FIBA EuroBasket encounter at the same arena, where the hosts began their impressive campaign.
This time around, the match wasn't as close, as France’s frontcourt delivered another impressive performance, leading the visitors to a 66-90 victory.
The story of the game
French offensive strategies this summer are clear, and with two brilliant bigs on the roster, it's no surprise. Les Bleus started feeding Wembanyama and Gobert inside from the tip-off, and Johannes Voigtmann had a tough time guarding them. Scoring on those two in the paint seemed almost impossible, so the Germans resorted to three-pointers but made their first one only two minutes into the second quarter after 12 straight misses.
Life for Germany looked easier with Wemby and Rudy on the bench, allowing Dennis Schroder to attack inside immediately. However, on the other end, Mathias Lessort quickly made his presence felt with a powerful dunk and a patient post-up game.
Tensions rose in the second quarter when Evan Fournier was disqualified after a scuffle, but that didn’t alter the course of the game. France led by 20 at halftime.
The second half was primarily an opportunity for the coaches to try new rotations and, of course, for Wemby to deliver more highlights.
The player of the game
Should we just leave Wembanyama’s name for this category in every France game recap this summer? It would certainly save us some typing.
Not watching every game of his feels like a crime. The most memorable plays this time around were a three-pointer following a slick crossover (Jamal Crawford’s influence?) and a turnaround jumper over Isaac Bonga.
The stats? 25 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, 1 steal. And, of course, his immense defensive presence, which simply can’t be captured by personal stats.
The stats of the game
When you play against France, you have to face the reality that scoring inside won't be an option. So what should you do? Right, try to score from the perimeter. But what if their perimeter defense is also incredible? You end up making only 20% of your threes (7-34) and lose the game- it's as simple as that.
The French team also combined for 19 assists, which is a positive sign for Vincent Collet.
The takeaways from the game
What should make the French head coach really happy is Mathias Lessort's performance off the bench and the pressure he applied alongside Gershon Yabusele. And really, does it matter who you have in your backcourt when you have Wembanyama and Gobert running pick-and-rolls together?
The Germans aren't world champions for nothing, but Gordon Herbert can't magically create size. With a few of his key bigs missing, the hosts were destined to struggle. The return of the Wagner brothers, Theis, and Thiemann should drastically improve Germany's interior game. Plus, the team didn’t look physically fresh, which will obviously change by the end of the month. So, there are no real worrying signs for Herbert just yet.
France will host Germany on Monday in another preparation game.
FIBA