Basketball players show Hansi’s listless kickers what a real team can achieve

At the European Championships last year, the DBB team delighted the fans. A tight-knit squad swept through the arenas in Cologne and Berlin and surprisingly won the bronze medal. A year later, the German basketball players continued where they left off at the World Cup in Japan. Three group games have brought them three wins, including a crazy fight against fellow favorites Australia and a 101-point gala against Finland.

In contrast, about nine months ago, the German footballers were eliminated in Qatar for the second time in a row in a World Cup group stage. After that, there was helplessness and anger in football Germany. The quality is actually on the square. But the stars don’t work together in the DFB team.

German basketball players only world class as a team

In contrast to the DFB team, the German basketball players do not have many outstanding individual players. Only Franz Wagner is a regular in the NBA. But he of all people was injured in the opening game against Japan and has been out ever since. But Captain Dennis Schröder jumped into the breach. In the thriller against Australia, Schröder was the outstanding man and led Germany to victory with a personal World Cup record of 30 points. Schröder plays a decent role in the NBA, but is not one of the outstanding players.

“Because our team is always together, we play well and give our all on the field,” Schröder explained the strong performance afterwards. And that’s the important thing.

Because the structure of the German team does not consist of pure world class, the DBB team works as a collective. Daniel Theis, Andreas Obst and Isaac Bonga aren’t world-class players on paper, but together they can take on the big players. Behind them is Gordon Herbert, a calm and analytical coach who trusts in the skills of his team and doesn’t experiment much.

DBB coach Herbert exudes calm and consistency – Flick can take an example from that

An early timeout in the game against Australia was symbolic. While opposing coach Brian Goorjian yelled at his players, Herbert calmly moved the magnets around on his tactics board.

And with that he is successful. Maybe a wake-up call for Hansi Flick, who sends a newly formed German back four onto the field in almost every game and often seems unsure in public.

Bonga plays his first world championship. After the game against Japan he replaced the injured Franz Wagner and did an excellent job. Despite a temporary injury break, he scored 15 points against Finland – together with Schröder, the most in the German team.

The solution to Flick’s problems is right under his nose

Meanwhile, the German national soccer team has a huge pool of players with international class. But Joshua Kimmich, Ilkay Gündogan, Thomas Müller and Co. have been disappointing on the pitch for years. The DFB team appears listless and uninspired. Every player seems more concerned with themselves than with team success. There is no clear game idea to recognize. This also alienates the fans from the team.

Flick should take the DBB team and other teams as a role model here. Herbert’s boys aren’t the only ones showing what a strong team can achieve. In Germany there has been a prime example for years – SC Freiburg. Consistency and team spirit are lived there and without any high-class individual players. That has already brought the Breisgauer into the Europa League and the cup final.

German basketball players on the way to the World Cup fairy tale

The DFB would also have players available who are not the best players on paper, but can pull the whole team along. Robert Andrich has lived this role in the Bundesliga for years, but Flick has so far ignored the six. Instead, Kimmich plays in midfield next to Gündogan. That’s a lot of quality, but brings little profit.

Our basketball players, on the other hand, inspire with team spirit, struggle and an incredibly positive energy. The whole bank cheers for the players on the field. It doesn’t matter who’s on the field, everyone does their job. David Kramer made his World Cup debut against Finland but played as if he had been there for years. The energy in the German team carries everyone away, players and fans. And she could provide another basketball fairy tale after last summer.