Germany survives Dennis Schroeder’s shooting woes to beat Latvia. Depth proved crucial for Deutschland despite the brave efforts of Arturs Zagars and Davis Bertans.

September 6, 2023

Dennis Schroeder had an historically awful day from the field but Germany’s depth was just too much in the end for Latvia. Davis Bertans and Arturs Zagars did what they could but, with more energy, Germany did just enough in the fourth quarters to reach the medal rounds of the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

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This one began like a rugby match. Bish, bash, bosh. Getting a good shot was far less important to this teams than making a stop. Roland Smits and Davis Bertans were both letting Daniel Theis know they were there. This was a clash of meaty men who didn’t want to give an inch.

This certainly benefitted Latvia more as Germany managed a meagre 3 points in the game’s first 5 minutes, all of them coming from an Andreas Obst three. The underdogs from Latvia were the first to create real space and opportunities. A three from Bertans moved them into a 10 point lead in the middle of the first quarter, with a rugby scoreline of 13-3.

Oh Dennis

Dennis Schroeder is a competitor. There’s no doubt about it. The thing is, when you ride with Schroeder, you’d better strap in because it’s going to get very bumpy. The enigmatic point guard went 0 of 12 to start from the field.

Schroeder’s wild ride is showing a pattern for Germany. In each of their two games prior to this, Germany struggled early. In both of those, they turned things around and the games became blowouts in their favour. They won those games without Franz Wagner, who missed them through injury. He made his comeback to the tournament in this one. His addition to the floor, along with Maodo Lo, gave Germany a more creative look. Still, they struggled and kept running into Latvian walls. Still, the bleeding had stopped.

So many ways to hurt you

Germany’s depth is an enormous weapon for them. Johannes Thiemann and Moritz Wagner both came in as fresh bodies late in the first. Early in the second, that little bit of extra spark Germany has was already starting to show. Lo, long an underrated player, intercepted a pass that Bertans over-thought and immediately found Mo for the transition dunk.

Thrown in a dash of Justus Hollatz’s tenacity and this was a team with a great blend of options. Without losing much length, Germany had gone smaller and leaner to run at Latvia. The US and Canada rosters may have more pure talent but this is the most complete looking team at the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

Yet Latvia could hang

For all of the talent at Germany’s disposal, the one thing they still struggled to find was space. Latvia had taken an intelligent and conservative approach to this game. By reducing Germany’s opportunities for true transition play, they could prevent major runs. This was not a team hunting offensive boards with aggression. It was far more concerned with maintaining a battle of half court vs half court.

That, coupled with Schroeder’s aforementioned shooting issues, meant this was becoming an old-fashioned Euro brawl. Good scoring looks were at a premium at either end. A Bertans three, his fourth of the game, roused things somewhat. Lo responded, first by going coast to coast and then from deep.

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Dennis Schroeder finally gets off the mark

It turns out that 13 is a lucky number for Dennis Schroeder as he finally got off the mark with his 13th shot of the day. He soon followed that up with an alley-oop for Danie Theis. The mojo was finally coming back.

As the game stretched a bit more, Latvia were being forced out of their shell. They had to get more aggressive offensively and this was creating more transition chances for Germany. Schroeder had that fight in him. He bullied inside to feed Isaac Bonga. That was no good but Schroeder got the board and went back to Obst who made it count.

Arturs Zagars carries the load

While Davis Bertans has been the unquestioned leader for Latvia at this tournament, Arturs Zagars has been the one with all the pressure. The 23 year old point guard has played like a grown ass man across the competition so far. He got it done in Jakarta and had brought that spark to Manila.

The youngster stepped up both as a scorer and creator despite playing against far more illustrious opponents. He sat out the last few minutes of the third but Latvia continued to hang in there, only trailing 62-59 entering the final frame.

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Depth matters

Bonga and Mo both made big scores early in the fourth, the latter off a steal. That pushed Germany into its first double digit lead of the day. It felt like one that would stick. For all of Latvia’s pluck and organisation, they just couldn’t stay as fresh as their opponents.

Latvia kept it close right up to the very last shot but there was always that depth edge for Deutschland. Germany’s bench outscored Latvia’s 44-6, and it was still 28-6 if you discount Franz Wagner’s contribution.

The verdict

This was, by some distance, Germany’s worst performance at the 2023 FIBA World Cup so far. The good news is that they survived. They also showed that they have the depth required to compete with the USA. They just need to be far more efficient and that starts with Schroeder, who finished 4 of 26 from the field and gave up 4 turnovers.

Latvia’s Cinderella story is over but Zagars has made a name for himself here. They’ll be hopeful that they can build on this next summer, hopefully with a healthy Kristaps Porzingis and Dairis Bertans. At full strength, this team has what it takes to qualify for the 2024 Olympics.

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This post was published on September 6, 2023