A 10-point win by Germany against Australia (74-64) on Wednesday helped head coach Henrik Rodl confirm the final 12-player list for his team. Nineteen-year-old Isaac Bonga became the last one to be cut off.
The list goes as follows:
Ismet Akpinar (guard), Maximilian Kleber (center), Daniel Theis (forward), Danilo Barthel (forward), Maodo Lo (guard), Johannes Thiemann (forward), Robin Benzing (forward), Andreas Obst (guard), Johannes Voigtmann (center), Niels Giffey (guard), Dennis Schroder (guard), Paul Zipser (forward).
Needless to say, the three NBA players, Kleber, Theis and Schroder, will be the three pillars of the team. Though Kleber and Theis are role players in the Dallas Mavericks and the Boston Celtics respectively, they both saw their 3-point rate rise last season, which is good news for big men under the FIBA rules.
As for Schroder, playing by Russell Westbrook and Paul George meant he had to start from the bench in most games after playing as a starter for two years in the Atlanta Hawks. Meanwhile, his ball possessions and shooting times were cut down too. However, despite that, the 25-year-old still managed to put down an average of 15.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists. If he is given enough time and bigger role on the court, Schroder can be a very sharp guard at the World Cup.
Dennis Schroder #17 of Germany drives toward the rim in a game against France at the Eurobasket in Turkey, September 9, 2017. /VCG Photo
Germany are in Group G with France, Dominican Republic and Jordan. "It's a very competitive group and we will have to bring our A game to win. France is one of the best teams in the world… With guys such as (Rudy) Gobert, (Nando) De Colo, (Evan) Fournier and (Nicolas) Batum, you can play very, very well. The Dominican Republic and Jordan, I don't know that much about them, but if they are qualified, it means that they have talent and that they can play very well," said Kleber.
Germany will meet their first opponent France at the Shenzhen Universiade Sports Center on September 1.