From BZ/dpa
Superstar in the NBA, sports hero in Slovenia: Luka Doncic is on everyone’s lips at the Basketball World Cup. The German team has already had experience with the Dallas Mavericks professional.
In the past few days of the World Cup in Okinawa, Japan, the German basketball players were confronted with one question even more often than with the current success. how to stop Luka Doncic?
The duel with the Slovenians, who have also been spotless so far, this Sunday (1:10 p.m.) will be reduced to an encounter with the Dallas Mavericks star player. The Germans praise the 24-year-old in the highest tones. “He makes a difference, he can do everything and has dominated for years,” said Moritz Wagner to the question about Doncic.
At the European Championships in Germany, Luka Doncic and Slovenia surprisingly lost to Poland in the quarter-finals. Right: Slovenia coach Aleksander Sekulic Photo: picture alliance/dpa
In 2021 Germany lost clearly at the Olympics, in 2022 just at the European Championships – in between there was a clear victory in the World Cup qualification. So Germany is used to duels with the Slovenians led by Doncic. Also Franz Wagner is impressed by the exceptional talent.
In the group match at the EM 2022, Slovenia’s superstar Luca Doncic scored 36 points. Here Franz Wagner from Berlin tries to stop him Photo: picture alliance/ Eibner Presse
“He has extremely good ball handling and can throw well. He’s extremely physical. He knows how to draw fouls. In any case, you can’t stop him alone. I think he can also fit extremely well,” said Wagner, who knows Doncic from the NBA. “He’s one of the best players in the world, we have to look good against him together as a team.”
Olympic bronze medalist Australia tried to double Doncic early on Friday and thwart him. The playmaker then used his teammates, who used the space and punished Australia. The result was a 91:80 victory for Slovenia, in which Doncic shone as a preparer despite foul problems.
“He has incredible quality,” said Maodo Lo. Doncic is not only a phenomenon on the pitch. He is also known for constantly talking to referees and opponents on the floor. “You can’t get too influenced by whistles, fans or other variables,” Lo noted.