This Thursday, the national basketball team presents itself to its fans again for the first time after sensationally winning the world championship title last year. In Ludwigsburg, the encounter against Montenegro (7.30 p.m. at MagentaSport) is the start of the qualifying games for the 2025 European Championships, which continues on Sunday with the guest appearance in Bulgaria. However, the world champions are almost completely missing. Only David Krämer, who played by far the smallest role in winning the title, is in the squad for the two games. Justus Hollatz, who was also scheduled, had to withdraw due to injury.
It was clear in advance that the players active in the North American professional league NBA, with captain Dennis Schröder at the helm, would not be available. But since the European premier class, unlike the NBA, is on pause this week, it would have been at least an option to nominate the Euroleague players from the World Cup squad.
A calculated risk?
The fact that national coach Gordon Herbert decided not to do so is certainly because the Canadian wanted to give his heavily stressed key players a well-deserved breather. Ultimately, one can assume that the missing players in Herbert’s head are more or less set for the Olympic Games. But this decision is also a clear signal of trust in the second guard: We can achieve two wins even without these players! One may speak of a calculated risk, but ultimately, given the personnel situation inherent in them, the qualification windows are almost inevitably a space for manageable experiments and a chance for the players behind the stars to show themselves.
This also includes four players each from Euroleague participants FC Bayern Munich and Alba Berlin. Nick Weiler-Babb (Bayern Munich), who missed last year’s World Cup due to an injury after winning the bronze medal at the 2022 continental championships, is the most prominent. But Oscar da Silva is also in the squad. The Spanish legionnaire from FC Barcelona was one of the last players Herbert left out of the squad before the World Cup. He absolutely wants to recommend himself to Paris, although the quality and competition are immense, especially in his position.
Everyone else only has an outside chance of making it to the Olympics. But it’s also about the time afterwards. Half of the world champions are 30 or older, and for them the Olympics could be a worthy end to their national team career. Herbert also said that he could imagine that Franz Wagner could take a break from the national team after Paris to concentrate fully on his NBA career. Whether this will actually happen remains to be seen. The 22-year-old professional from Orlando Magic is considered the key player for the next few years and is expected to replace Schröder in the leadership role.
In any case, a personnel transition process is likely to begin, but it could proceed relatively quietly. The national coach is ideally suited to manage such transformations, and the 1998 and 1999 vintages, considered the most talented in German basketball history, are now entering their best career phase. In addition to the four players of this age group who are in the squad for the qualifying games, they also include world champion Isaac Bonga and NBA star Isaiah Hartenstein, who recently vehemently expressed his willingness to return to the national team. Sniper Andreas Obst still has good years ahead of him, as does Moritz Wagner, Franz’s older brother.
Michael Reinsch Published/Updated: Recommendations: 8 Christopher Meltzer, Munich Published/Updated: Recommendations: 2 Michael Reinsch, Berlin Published/Updated: Recommendations: 3
But Gordon Herbert also has the very young on his radar. With the 18-year-old Johann Grünloh from promoted Rasta Vechta, the discovery of the season could make his debut against Montenegro. The 2.10 meter tall center is already regularly monitored by NBA scouts. Ivan Kharchenkov (Bayern Munich), who is a year younger, was also initially in the squad, but was left out by the national coach on Tuesday.
The two U-18 national players Christian Anderson and Jack Kayil took part in the renowned “Basketball without Borders” camp as part of the NBA Allstar Weekend in Indianapolis. But this generation not only has one or two high-flyers but also team successes. The U18s won European Championship bronze, the U20s came sixth and the U16s fifth in the continental title fights. With Declan Duru (Real Madrid) and Mathieu Grujicic (FC Barcelona), the two best players of this year are already under contract with top European clubs. The future can come.
The author was Coach of the Year twice.
