VECHTA (Germany) - How can you possibly impress as early as possible to give a certain push to your career? Well, there are different significant ways to do it. Follow us in this quick tutorial and take note of some options.
You could write your name into a competition's history books, cementing your legacy by setting an all-time record;
You could remarkably help your basketball movement by winning the maiden medal for your country's U18 national team;
You could play with different teams in different scenarios, still winning multiple seasonal awards and gaining promotions.
With eight months still away from turning 20 years of age, Johann Grunloh has done all of that in a matter of two or three seasons. Christian Held, the head coach who called the plays all the way to the bronze medal for Germany at the FIBA U18 European Championship 2023, didn't see it coming.
"I wasn't expecting it, but I was also not completely surprised. But to expect it, I think that would be too much," he said in an interview with the Basketball Champions League's official website.
But that's how Grunloh has been amazing audiences, scouts, opponents, and teammates themselves. The 2005-born center is a defensive storm you may underestimate when noticing at first, during shootarounds for instance; but you can't take your eyes off him once the game starts.
Being down-to-earth helps when taking off
"The first time I realized he might have been something special was probably in practice," Joel Aminu recalls. They have been together for three seasons now.
His current teammate at RASTA Vechta joined the orange side in 2021-22, still in the German Second Division. Johann was on the edge of turning 18, and "wasn't playing much," but his commitment even during intense practices was nothing but undeniable.
"He was holding his own even at a young age, and never backed down from competition," Aminu praised Grunloh.
That's one secret for his early success: being competitive, but never stubborn or arrogant.
"Very professional, very adult-like, and hard-working. Those would be the first three things that come to my mind. That's the first impression he gave me," RASTA Vechta's head coach Martin Schiller commented about his young center.
Coach Held had the same feeling.
"It's not only the things he did on the court [at the FIBA U18 European Championship 2023] but also the person he is off the court," Germany U18's head coach added.
"I think that's just as great if not even more worthwhile for every team. Very mature for a guy his age. I remember when we were with the national team that summer, he really wanted to work on his shot and he stayed after every single practice," he followed.
It wasn't as easy as doing it during a club's season.
"Even during the [FIBA U18] European Championship, when practice time is limited because you play seven games in nine days, he tried to stay longer, he tried to get his shots in and really worked on that. That speaks volumes about his personality and his work ethic," Held also said about Grunloh's commitment.
During that time, a familiar face was helping from the sideline, as an assistant coach on Held's staff.
"He is willing to learn and work hard, to pick up stuff quickly. It's quite easy for him. He was one of the few guys that always came to me to work 15-20 minutes before practice or team sessions," Danilo Barthel joined the conversation about the 2005-born center.
"In the beginning, we had trouble defending the pick-and-roll the way we wanted to do. But after sitting down with him, showing it on video, and then telling him exactly the angles in some sequence from practice, within two days he was our best pick-and-roll defender," the former German national team member points out.
Talking about defense, yes: that's the best and most unique weapon of Johann Grunloh's already wide arsenal. In a world where everybody looks at what happens on the offensive end, the 19-year-old stands out elsewhere.
Defensive lectures - or masterclass?
Just by looking at his last game in the Basketball Champions League - in, we should remind you, his first-ever international campaign - on the road against Promitheas Patras BC Vikos Cola, you get the feeling Johann's special when it comes to reading the opponents' moves.
Correction: just look at his first half. Six (!) blocks and not a single one without ease. At the end of the game, which coincided with RASTA Vechta's first win in Group D, avoiding elimination, there were eight blocks, and that's the first dot on the tip list we gladly give you to start dissecting the 2005-born German center's capabilities.
Setting the Basketball Champions League record for most blocks in a single game in just his fifth appearance in this competition is no easy task.
"Contesting shorts with my wingspan and height, combined with my timing, make the opponents think twice if they want to shoot against me," Grunloh said.
Shot-blocking is surely what stands out the most when looking at his playing style, checked by numbers. RASTA Vechta's 19-year-old center is second for blocks per game at 3.2 - only Bertram Derthona Basket's Ismael Kamagate does better, with 3.4 per encounter.
Generally, he's the one to watch on pick-and-roll defensive coverages.
"I'm still not perfect in it," he first states while talking to championsleague.basketball.
"I think it takes a long, long time to really master it. I'm only at the beginning to be perfect on it", he said.
Regardless, it's still one of the most important parts of his game.
"Even for a short period of time, there's a 2-vs-1 situation against you. You've got to read the movements of the other player, where he's looking, if he's more a scorer or a passer, and then you gotta decide where to help or if you have to contest a big man on a double-pass or go for the guard," he analyzed.
Improvements are on the way already, though.
"I'm getting better at lateral movements against quicker guards on switch situations, or post-ups against bigger big men who are stronger than me. When the time comes, I'll be better at that. I think my body is still developing. I hope in 2-3 years I'll be stronger too, to play against bigger or stronger people."
After RASTA Vechta's road clash against Galatasaray, he thought back about facing Angel Delgado.
"Most of the time, it was a matter of positioning. He has a great feeling for the game, always in the right spots for the rebound. And then if he's already there, you can't push him away. So you gotta do your work early. I could have boxed him out better, because he got quite a lot of offensive rebounds or tips," Grunloh commented.
That was his debut game in the Basketball Champions League and, despite the loss, he still finished with an efficiency rating of 15, getting 12 points and 5 rebounds; Angel Delgado was slightly better at 14 points and 7 rebounds, but also shot perfectly from two on six attempts.
Gaining muscle is a process, and the German team's training department is already working on it.
"Physical bigs go ahead down low and draw fouls over him. He's gonna get stronger as he gets older. He actually added a lot of muscle this summer, it's a huge upgrade. He's a strong kid, he can take the challenge. But we're talking [Angel] Delgado: that's a different topic" coach Schiller explained.
"He struggles a little bit with bigger, heavier post-offensive players. That's an area where he can still improve, but that's totally natural because he's young, he's still got to add muscles every year. But he's gotten a lot stronger in the last couple of years so it's getting better," Joel Aminu spoke about this specific matter.
Three weeks later, the German team went up against Francesco Tabellini's ERA Nymburk, losing again.
"Christian Bishop sometimes beat me to the basket. Stepping left, then driving right: that was probably too easy for him. I could have defended better the alley-oop play I got from him," Grunloh was honest describing the matchup.
Coach Schiller has no doubts about his prospect's defensive skills.
"Being very focused and able to defend different pick-and-roll coverages is huge for him. Statistically, he's a pretty good rebounder and shot-blocker, and those things definitely help there on the defense," RASTA Vechta's head coach said.
Grunloh's defense was crucial for the national team too, in that aforementioned medal winning run in 2023.
"Defensively he was outstanding for us. It really helps when you have a big man like that who can impact the game in numerous ways. Not only in the pick-and-roll coverages, but also on drives, protecting the paint, rebounding the ball, blocking, and chasing shots", coach Held said.
Adding new weapons to his game
While being a solid factor on the defensive end, the 19-year-old is at the same time an interesting center in the making on offense.
"He's a split the screen and roll big, who can finish above the rim, which is good because he can put pressure on the rim in pick-and-roll," Schiller comments.
Once again, Held has the same impression as his colleague at RASTA Vechta.
"[He can] put pressure on the rim, finish, and give you something where the opponent has to worry about protecting the paint because he's always a threat. I think that just helps every team."
Back to coach Schiller, he instantly thought about adding one component to his game when looking at him in practice this past summer.
"This year we added the three-point shot to his game. I believe in that, our coaches work a lot on it and we put him in situations where he can feel the shooting rhythm offensively. That's not a fluke, I think that's really there and it's something that we work on and keep developing."
Moreover, adding a three-point threat to his game widens even more of his options.
"Not only shooting the ball, but playing off that pick-and-pop. Is it a shot or is it an extra pass or potentially a drive? That's something coaches and the whole staff are working on and I think it's really an upside in this game," Schiller added.
Watching him closely as he helped both RASTA Vechta and the organization's second team progress to higher standings in German basketball, Joel Aminu can't do anything but enjoy his development process.
"Since when we started talking about plays in the preseason, I noticed he was gonna pop a little more. At first, I was surprised, but now I see him work on the shot every day and he's been hitting it very well so far."
Indeed, Johann Grunloh is one of the best shooting centers out there, both in the Basketball Champions League and the easyCredit Basketball Bundesliga. Only attempting 1.4 three-pointers per game in Europe, he's still converting them at a 42.9 percent rate; domestically, the attempts increase to 2.0 per game, shooting 44.4 percent.
In the recent winning stretch RASTA Vechta has had in Germany, he has knoced them down at a 50.0 percent rate from beyond the arc against Brose Bamberg and Bayern Munich, shooting 3-of-6 on both occasions.
"In the game against Bayern, he was making three threes immediately. Back then [at the FIBA U18 European Championship 2023] he was able to shoot, but he did not have the confidence in his shot. I think this can be a big quality of him as a rim protector, also to be able to pop out and be more flexible. If he now learns to put the ball on the floor it's the next step to be even more dangerous in different situations," Danilo Barthel says.
Christian Held took the assist from his assistant coach.
"It will help him tremendously because now he will be a threat on offense all over the court, making it really hard to predict what's happening: when setting the screen he can pop, he can roll, he can do numerous things. I think also his passing skills out of these situations get a lot better and that makes it just so hard to guard for every team," Held echoed the thoughts we heard from others.
Johann Grunloh himself is aware of the fact that his game is getting a lot more versatile, but he's staying focused on which part of the game tells him to adjust.
"We try to stay in the plays. We got a special play for me popping, so I try to pop only when I have to. Every other time I try to attack the basket, being aggressive at the rim to not stretch the flow, so the guard can do a layup or get a double pass," he spoke about unselfishness on the team.
Growing up in "big family" environments
Taking a big part in shaping the future of German basketball, Johann has the ability to follow the footsteps left by his countrymen and predecessors. Guys like Daniel Theis, Tibor Pleiss, Moritz Wagner, Johannes Thiemann, Johannes Voigtmann, Isaiah Hartenstein, Maxi Kleber... And the list goes on and on.
Out of all of them, RASTA Vechta's center is sure when asked to pick a guy whom he modeled his game after.
"As a kid, I looked up to all these national team players. Isaiah Hartenstein has lived 15 minutes from me in Quakenbruck, and I can really identify my game with his offensive rebounds and ability to block shots," he named his first pick.
"I also look up to Moritz Wagner in stretching out the floor, shooting some threes."
To the ones who have worked alongside him in the past few years, however, things are clear, too, when thinking about a comparison with the 2005-born center.
"With his athleticism, shooting ability, and timing for blocks, Daniel Theis may be one of the closest ones", Christian Held first said.
"I think a natural comparison is Isaiah Hartenstein and Daniel Theis", Schiller added.
"A little bit undersized, but good rim protector able to take the shot blocked. Not to focus on playing post, just rim roll and pop out mid-range shots, being athletic. Also, the way he's jumping off one leg, it really impresses and reminds me of Daniel Theis," Danilo Barthel also gave his thoughts.
Unlike other countrymen of his, he was part of the first ever U18 German national team capable of winning a bronze medal, at the FIBA U18 European Championship 2023. Back then, Grunloh and teammates lost only to Serbia in the Semi-Finals, but managed to beat France in the Bronze Medal Game.
"It's a great honor to be the first U18 team for Germany to win a medal with Christian Held and Danilo Barthel," the center recalls.
"If you look at the guys who are playing at the top level from these U18 FIBA European Championships, I think this is high-level basketball. If you can be outstanding at that level, that means something. I think he really understood that and took the confidence out of this situation, making the best out of it moving forward," Held made it clear.
On the other side of the court, fighting for that bronze medal, there was last season's Basketball Champions League Best Young Player.
"I played with Tidjane Salaun at the Adidas Eurocamp in Treviso. He's just the perfect fit for the NBA: tall, athletic, he can shoot. It was fun playing against him. Watching him play in the BCL too, he was just doing everything: rebounding, blocking shots, put-back dunks," Grunloh praised the French sensation.
Talking about talents coming from France, in that U18 French national team another Basketball Champions League NBA projected prospect was present.
"I think [Nolan] Traore is going to develop his game a little more, having plenty of playing time in the LNB and BCL for Saint-Quentin Basket-Ball. He's gonna be a great one for France," Johann commented on the 18-year-old point guard, a potential rival in the battle for this season's Best Young Player award.
Considering the level of basketball he has been displaying recently, it was only a matter of time until he could have an opportunity to start breathing the senior national team's atmosphere. Despite not playing against Sweden, he was still called up by Alex Mumbru in the latest window of the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers.
"We had a team dinner and I sat next to Tibor Pleiss, who has been all over Europe and the NBA: we talked about his career a lot. It was nice getting some knowledge about all this stuff from an experienced player, and of course, with Johannes Thiemann now playing in Japan, knowing what it's like over there," he said.
Having a certain spot in the German national team is a matter of certainty for the 2023-24 BBL Best Young Player of the Year, but right now his full focus is on extending RASTA Vechta's stay in the Basketball Champions League.
In the last win over Promitheas in Greece, three of his teammates stepped up big time too.
"Brandon [Randolph] had 29, Jayden [Gardner] had 20, Tyger [Campbell] made some good assists. They all had big-time plays, and I think they fit perfectly. At first, we had to build up a connection, but that went pretty quickly. We will improve over the season and get better each day," Grunloh commented.
At the end of the day, it's not the first time he has managed to experience certain emotions with RASTA Vechta.
"It's a big family," he first described the club.
"I've been here for five or six years right now, from youth to pro level. I trust everybody on the team, at the office, our General Manager, the coaching staff, and my teammates. Everybody. I got to experience basketball in different competitions each year, and we moved up the ranks together. That's what makes RASTA this special: learning on different levels."
"Huge credit goes to Vechta, their setup, and the opportunities they gave him to develop and become the player he has become so far, giving him the chance to be even better. That's something not that common. The main thing is Johann [Grunloh] and his ability to adjust to whatever level he's playing at, at a pace that's been incredible. That goes back to the person he is: being very mature, understanding that this situation is unique, embracing it, and really growing in it. I think not everybody could have done it the way, or very few could have done it the way he's been doing it," his U18 German national team's head coach concluded.
Next time you see someone going up against the 2005-born center from RASTA Vechta, whether it's the Basketball Champions League action or a weekend fixture in the German Bundesliga, keep an eye on him.
Because a shot may be blocked easily, or a pick-and-roll situation could generate several outcomes. It's the whole package: threes, dunks, blocks, defense.
And professionalism, maturity, humbleness.
Johann Grunloh's the one to watch. His head coaches, mentors, and teammates believe the same.