Dennis Schröder also gave his all in civilian clothes. Again and again the NBA professional cheered on his fellow players in the Supercup final against the overwhelming Serbs, jumped up and clapped his hands. You could tell Schröder every minute that he would have preferred to be on the floor of the Hamburg Arena. But because the captain of the German basketball team twisted his left foot in the semifinals against the Czech Republic, he missed the first endurance test of the preparations for the European Championship – and thus increased the already great personnel worries in the German team.
“My plan was to go to Hamburg with twelve players so that the boys can find their roles here and we can grow together as a team,” said national coach Gordon Herbert. But currently hardly a day goes by without the association having some bad news to announce. One and a half weeks before the start of the European Championship with a preliminary round in Cologne and the final round in Berlin (September 1st to 18th), the German team still looks like a wildly mixed bunch.
This will not change much in the coming week either. In Schröder and Daniel Theis, two of the most important players will be missing in preparation for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers in Sweden on Thursday and three days later in Munich against Slovenia with NBA superstar Luka Doncic.
Schröder did not board the plane to Stockholm on Sunday because he initially wants to be treated further in Germany. There is still a small hope that the pain in the ankle will subside significantly and that the point guard can still travel on Wednesday. After all, Schröder gave the all-clear with a view to the European Championship. “I won’t miss it,” said the 28-year-old.
Concerns about Center Theis are significantly greater. The NBA pro from the Indiana Pacers is struggling with knee problems and will definitely miss the two games against Sweden and Slovenia. There is also a big question mark behind the participation of the NBA finalist in the European Championship last season. Theis was no longer with the team at the Supercup in Hamburg, he is being treated in Munich. In the course of the week, a decision will then be made as to whether the power pack will be fit in time.
“We’ve already lost two NBA boys in Mo Wagner and Isaac Bonga,” Herbert recalled. “It would be very important for us if Daniel was there.” The Serbs around superstar Nikola Jokic also discovered this in a clear 83:56 on Saturday. Without Theis, Germany lacks the necessary defensive presence under the basket.
“We couldn’t match the Serbs’ physical game,” analyzed Schröder, who was watching. However, he did not want to speak of a severe setback with a view to the home European Championship. “When you play basketball, you also lose games,” said Schröder. “We can learn a lot from the game.”
