Germany's basketball players are ready for the finals in Berlin. After the 106:71 win over Hungary without a win, on Saturday (6:00 p.m. / Magentasport) they will face outsiders Montenegro in the round of 16.
The four victories - including against Olympic silver medalist France and co-favorites Lithuania - in Group B came as a surprise. Second place in Group B was achieved behind European champions Slovenia. Who convinced, who performed as expected, who still has room for improvement? Testimony after the first round:
Above expectations
Franz Wagner: The 21-year-old from the Orlando Magic inspires with an all-round package and is usually the first offensive option. The 32 points in the victory over Lithuania reminded of the young Dirk Nowitzki.
Maodo Lo: Is Germany's sixth man and gives offensive power from the strong bench. Three-pointer and dribbler Lo performed so well that Dennis Schröder named him Germany's next NBA professional.
Johannes Thiemann: Fired up by his award as the most valuable player in the Bundesliga final series, Thiemann is also a key German player at the European Championship. Brings energy, rebounds and points.
In target
Dennis Schröder: Is the new captain of the team and is universally praised as a leader by his colleagues. Above all, takes on a lot of responsibility offensively. The litter rate needs to be increased.
Johannes Voigtmann: The co-captain is in the starting lineup and is performing well. Especially important in defense and rebounds. So far, little has been done about the line of three.
Niels Giffey: Was considered a shaky candidate after a weak season, but made it into the rotation of national coach Gordon Herbert as an integral part. With good odds offensively an important addition.
Andreas Obst: Started the tournament inconspicuously, but then improved significantly. The triple specialist was a factor in attack against Bosnia (13 points), Lithuania (nine) and Slovenia (14).
With potential for growth
Daniel Theis: His participation after knee problems is elementary. Theis is strong in rebound and defense, and also repeatedly converts shots from the middle distance. However, the NBA professional commits too many fouls and could still increase offensively.
Nick Weiler-Babb: The Bayern professional is responsible for defense as a starter alongside Schröder and Wagner. Does a decent job against the opponents' stars. Offensive yet without proper binding. His shoulder problems are worrying for the final round.
Still without a (big) role
Jonas Wohlfarth-Bottermann: The center, nicknamed "Wobo", showed a strong performance against Bosnia, but otherwise only plays a small role. Collected too many fouls in a short amount of time in multiple games.
Justus Hollatz / Christian Sengfelder: The defender and the Bamberg Big Man were not used in the first four preliminary round games. National coach Herbert relied on a ten-man rotation without the duo in the important games. Against Hungary, however, both showed their value for the team.
