Team Profile: Boosted by EuroBasket success, Germany aim to end World Cup medal drought

OKINAWA (Japan) - Buoyed by success in recent years, Germany aim for no less than a medal in their FIBA Basketball World Cup redemption tour.

Die Mannschaft finished 18th in the 2019 competition in China, but the crew has since shown how badly it wants to bounce back from that disappointing campaign with very impressive performances.

It began when the team, despite missing the services of captain Dennis Schroder, conquered the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Croatia to book its place in the Tokyo Olympics, where they made it to the Quarter-Finals.

Their biggest triumph on this comeback trail to date, the German squad finished third at FIBA EuroBasket 2022. It marked the first podium finish at the continental showpiece since a runner-up finish in Belgrade in 2005, when Dirk Nowitzki was tournament MVP.

Definitely, this squad is hoping that those major achievements since the last World Cup will carry over to this summer's big event, which gets underway for Gordie Herbert's team in Okinawa against Group E hosts Japan on August 25.

In the SuperCup friendly tournament at home in Hamburg, Germany lost the Final to Canada in overtime, but the team sure looked like they are ready.

The Roster

Germany's roster has nine of the players that helped secure third-place at the EuroBasket in Berlin, spearheaded by Schroder, an All-Star Five selection and the tournament's fifth-leading scorer at 22.1 points per game.

The star guard will be accompanied by fellow NBA players Daniel Theis, Franz and Moritz Wagner, sharpshooters Andi Obst and Maodo Lo, excellent big man Johannes Voigtmann, workhorse power forward Johannes Thiemann and valuable squad members David Kramer, Niels Giffey, and Justus Hollatz.

Schroder, Theis, Lo, Giffey, Voigtmann, Thiemann, and Obst were all part of the German squad that competed at the 2019 World Cup in China.

There is also the return of star Isaac Bonga. Both he and Moritz Wagner played in the Olympic team but missed last summer at EuroBasket.

The Question

Germany coach Gordie Herbert is optimistic the team can reach the podium at the World Cup for the first time since 2002, when Nowitzki led the country to third place in Indianapolis.

"We're playing for a medal at the World Cup," he said.

Ending that long of a drought is the goal of Herbert and his crew. However, one thing everyone agrees on is that it won't be easy.

If there's no question about this team's talent, getting out of the First Round should be extremely tough. Germany are in Group E with a Lauri Markkanen-led Finland, Australia, who lost to eventual champions Spain in double overtime at the World Cup four years ago in the Semi-Finals, and hosts Japan, who promise to be formidable as hosts, and with their uptempo game.

Can they get past those three?

The Hope

As challenging as the road to a spot on the podium could be, Germany will be banking on one thing that could spell the difference: established chemistry. Most of the team's pieces have gone into battle together before.

As mentioned above, the initial pool has nine of the 12 players that made waves at the last EuroBasket, so their aim is to emulate that success on an even bigger stage.

In addition to Moritz Wagner, Bonga, Lo, Giffey, Voigtmann, Thiemann and Obst played at the Tokyo Olympics, an experience that will definitely help not just in terms of chemistry but also because of the familiar feeling of playing in Japan.

Several of the players also have the benefit of having fought alongside each other in multiple windows of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 European Qualifiers.

The Fear

It's never easy identifying weaknesses for a team that basically has it all - size, speed, and shooting. Germany can defend well, too, both inside and on the perimeter.

What might be an issue for Germany is not having that inside presence they could lean on, especially when the going gets tough. Bigs such as Voigtmann and Thiemann are perhaps better known for stretching the floor.

However, Germany coped well against teams that had elite centers at the EuroBasket like France (Rudy Gobert), Lithuania (Jonas Valanciunas) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (Jusuf Nurkic), and there are the Wagner brothers who also offer a  lot of solutions inside.

Regardless, the team will surely be tough competition for Group E.

in the last 10 FIBA events

YEAR	EVENT	LOCATION	ACHIEVEMENT
2022	FIBA EuroBasket	Czech Republic-Georgia-Italy-Germany	3rd
2021	Olympics	Tokyo (JPN)	8th
2019	FIBA Basketball World Cup	Beijing (CHN)	18th
2017	FIBA EuroBasket	Istanbul (TUR)	6th
2016	Olympics	Rio de Janeiro (BRA)	Did not qualify
2015	FIBA EuroBasket	Lille (FRA)	18th
2014	FIBA Basketball World Cup	Madrid (ESP)	Did not qualify
2013	FIBA EuroBasket	Ljubljana (SLO)	17th
2012	Olympics	London (GBR)	Did not qualify
2011	FIBA EuroBasket	Kaunas (LTU)	9th

The poll

 

More?

For a deeper look on Germany's journey to the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023, click here.

FIBA