FIBA World Cup 2023: Dennis Schroder is having a ball in Okinawa, and Germany are rolling

Paris 2024

Doing whatever it takes, the new Toronto Raptors guard is leading his country like a true captain - and to wins on basketball's grandest stage.

4 minBy Shintaro Kano
Dennis Schroder of Germany

(FIBA)

Toronto Raptors fans wondering what they’re getting in Dennis Schroder should start watching FIBA World Cup 2023 immediately.

Schroder’s reputation has superceded himself at times in the basketball world, like when he reportedly gambled on himself by turning down a four-year, $84 million contract extension from the Los Angeles Lakers. He ended up getting a one-year, $5.9 million deal from the Boston Celtics on the market.

Or more recently, when the point guard’s comments about team-mate Maxi Kleber in a podcast last month led to the Dallas Mavericks forward pulling out of the World Cup. Schroder was forced to issue a profuse apology.

But so far in Okinawa, where Germany have won two of two against Japan and Australia in Group E to secure passage to the second round, Schroder, who signed a two-year deal with the Raptors this summer, has been nothing short of exemplary on and off the court.

The 29-year-old has flat-out made play after play, whether it’s for himself or for his team-mates, averaging 22 points, 6.5 assists, three rebounds and two steals.

Against Australia - one of the tournament favourites now on the verge of first-round elimination no thanks to Schroder - he lit up the Boomers for 30 points on 10-of-19 shooting and eight assists in an 85-82 win.

Schroder became only the second player for Germany to score 30 or more in a World Cup game. Newly enshrined Hall-of-Famer Dirk Nowitzki is the other.

“I just tried to pick my spots. With Franz Wagner out, I knew I had to be a little bit more aggressive on the offensive end,” said Schroder, who also became the first German to record 25-plus points and five-plus assists at the World Cup since Kai Nurnberger in 1994.

“We stayed together for 40 minutes. We had a little stretch in the third quarter where we weren’t playing very well.

“But I think we kept our heads high, kept playing, stayed together.”

Both Australia and Japan had marked him as the key to playing Germany, but Schroder figured them out, shrewdly taking what they gave him. The switching, the double-teaming, it didn’t work.

Australia lost to Germany for the first time in seven career meetings. When the two teams squared off on the Olympic stage two years ago at Tokyo 2020, Schroder wasn’t around and he was the clear difference on Sunday.

“We double-teamed and he handled that quite well, and that’s when the other guard hurt us,” Australia coach Brian Goorjian said.

“When we went to the switching we thought, keep him out of the paint, keep him off his right hand and make him shoot the 3. I thought our bigs did a pretty good job for the most part but he just hit shots.

“We played them in Tokyo and they didn’t have Schroder - it’s a different deal.”

Germany have won their last five games at the World Cup, equalling the country’s best run ever.

There’s little to think the streak won’t stretch to six on Tuesday, when Schroder & Co. take on Finland who were felled by Japan on Sunday and headed for the classification games.

"The mood in the locker room is great. Very happy about everyone who performed really well,” Schroder said.

“We showed once again that we are very hard to beat when we perform as a team. we just have to keep doing what we are doing and get better."

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