The new NBA season is in the starting blocks, and six German players, including four world champions, will be among them.
Schröder and his new job
Six German players are currently employed in the best basketball league in the world, including of course national team captain Dennis Schröder. The player from Braunschweig has long since proven his suitability for this league and was able to mature and learn a lot alongside top stars like LeBron James or Anthony Davis.
Schröder decided to move to the Toronto Raptors in the summer. The Canadians finished ninth in the East last season, then were eliminated in the play-in tournament against the Chicago Bulls. Certainly a franchise from which no great miracles can be expected.
But that is precisely where the opportunity lies for the captain of the German national team. After all, Schröder is the Raptors’ starting point guard, which means he leads an NBA team as its head. He has already proven that he can do that. The 30-year-old is in outstanding form and, thanks to the World Cup title, is entering the new NBA season with plenty of tailwind. “I’m going to mix it up again there, too,” the world champion promised during the celebrations.
Will Franz Wagner be an All-Star?
The two Wagner brothers also want to mix it up in Orlando. As is well known, Franz and Moritz are on the same team and, just like Schröder, had a great summer by winning the World Championship. Self-explanatory, these two also have a lot of self-confidence and should gain even more standing in the team with the big title.
Franz Wagner is entering his third season with the Magic and has been completely convincing in his first two seasons. The 22-year-old is an integral part of the starting five and is one of the franchise’s top performers and hopefuls. With an average of 18.6 points last season, the German has improved on the previous year (15.2 points). With him, everyone is actually sure that the question is not whether he will become an All-Star, but when.
Brother Moritz basically has the same job in Orlando as he does with the German national team: Energiser off the bench. With the Lakers, Washington, Boston and now Orlando, he has already seen a few NBA teams. Last year he “only” played 57 games due to injuries. He is currently fit – and in this form, of course, important for Orlando, which clearly missed the play-offs last season in 13th place.
Theis: How much playing time will he get?
The fourth World Champion in the bunch is Daniel Theis. After stints in Boston, Chicago and Houston, the centre landed with the Indiana Pacers last season. Last year went anything but well for the former Bamberg player on the club level. First he had to take a break due to injury, and when he was fit, he hardly played. The competition was too great, which ultimately led to the 31-year-old playing only seven games for the Pacers (seven points, 3.1 rebounds).
What he can give the team is clear: above all, good defence. Theis also proved that at the World Championships, was not called the “anchor in the defence” by Schröder for nothing. The Pacers’ starting centre is Myles Turner, behind him several players like Jalen Smith, Isaiah Jackson or Obi Toppin can play this position. It remains to be seen how much playing time the German will get this season.
Kleber a reliable role player
Maximilian Kleber did not play in the World Cup. After the sharp statements by Dennis Schröder, for which the captain apologised afterwards, the Dallas pro cancelled the tournament. So, of course, he could use the summer to prepare perfectly for the new season with the Mavericks. Kleber has been playing for the Mavs since 2017 and has been an important and absolutely reliable role player ever since.
Last season, however, he struggled with injuries and only made 37 games. The 31-year-old naturally wants to avoid that this season and provide important input alongside the two top stars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving – both defensively and on the offensive end with his sure touch from distance.
Hartenstein made all 82 games
The sixth and last of the bunch of Germans in the NBA is Isaiah Hartenstein. The 25-year-old has been playing for the New York Knicks since last season after stints in Houston, Denver, Cleveland and the L.A. Clippers. As a role player he played in all 82 games of the season and entered the play-offs with his team in fifth place, where they were eliminated in the semi-finals against the Heat. The centre was also used in all eleven play-off games.
With an average of 19.9 minutes in the main season, Hartenstein might have been absolutely satisfied. In that time he contributed five points and 6.5 rebounds. Of course, he would like to increase that, but has to line up behind Mitchell Robinson at the five.
