A week and a half before the start of the EM, there was a heavy defeat for the DBB selection. The tournament favorite is just a size too big.
The German basketball players clearly lost the final of the Supercup in Hamburg. Without the battered captain Dennis Schröder, EM favorite Serbia with NBA superstar Nikola Jokic was a number too big for the German team, who had to admit defeat 56:83 (31:38) and had no chance.
For Germany it was the first defeat in preparation for the European Championship with a preliminary round in Cologne and the final round in Berlin (September 1st to 18th). The best German thrower was Andreas Obst with twelve points, while NBA MVP Jokic topped the Serbs with 22 points.
The clear defeat moved into the background in view of the personnel concerns. Because a week and a half before the start of the European Championship, the problems for coach Gordon Herbert are getting bigger. Schröder sat out Serbia because he twisted his ankle in the 101-90 semi-final against the Czech Republic on Friday. It was still unclear on Saturday evening whether the NBA professional would travel with the team to Stockholm on Sunday, where the World Cup qualifier against Sweden is due on Thursday. It is quite possible that Schröder will initially continue to be treated in Germany.
Coach Herbert with staff worries
A use of the point guard at the EM is currently not at risk. A failure of Schröder would also be difficult for the German team to cope with. Especially since Daniel Theis’ participation in the European Championship is very questionable. The Indiana Pacers center is struggling with knee problems and is currently undergoing therapy and individual training, according to the German Basketball Association.
The 30-year-old will definitely miss the two World Cup qualifiers in Sweden (August 25) and against Slovenia (August 28). In the course of the coming week, a decision will be made as to whether Theis will be fit in time for the European Championships. In advance, two NBA players, Maximilian Kleber and Isaac Bonga, had to pull out injured. At the beginning of the preparation, Moritz Wagner was also caught. The personnel puzzle for Herbert is therefore difficult enough that a loss of Schröder would hardly be able to be compensated.
Weil-Babb with national team debut
After all, Nick Weiler-Babb celebrated his debut in the jersey with the eagle on the chest against Serbia. The Bayern Munich professional, who was only recently naturalized, had missed the start of the preparations for family reasons, but finally joined the team on Thursday. Weiler-Babb collected his first minutes of play against Serbia and also scored his first points for Germany.