Boomers Olympic Opposition Analysis: Germany

Saturday, July 31, 2021

The roster the Germans do have in Tokyo may be missing some headline names, but still features two NBA players and a collection of Euroleague talent.Who are the players to watch, who are their X-factors, and what will the Boomers need to focus on to get another victory?

Written for nbl.com.au by Tom Hersz

Australian Boomers v Germany (Die Mannschaft)

When: 6.20pm (AEST), Saturday 31 July

Where: Saitama Super Arena, Tokyo, Japan

Broadcast: 7 Network, 7+

The final game of Group B play is nearly upon us. One team has played well, but only has one win to show for it. The other team believes they can play a lot better and are in the box seat to top the group.

The Boomers, coming off a thrilling 86-83 win over Italy on Wednesday, sit atop the group at 2-0 with a + 20-point differential. A win over Germany will guarantee they will advance as the group winner. Against Italy, they managed to make some adjustments from their opening game, limiting their turnovers and utlising their bigs a lot more. They won the rebound count, especially on the o-boards, and shared the ball beautifully.

In a game where Patty Mills struggled with his shot, he turned facilitator at times, which was big in showing that this team’s offence can not only survive, but thrive, even when Patty doesn’t have it going.

Unfortunately, the Boomers learned this morning that they will be without Aron Baynes going forward in the tournament due to a neck injury sustained against Italy. The team will need to adjust but are close-knit and will rally together to cover for Baynes.

The Germans rebounded from a disappointing opening loss against Italy, where they had the game in their control until a poor fourth quarter. Against Nigeria, they started hot again but the D’Tigers length caused problems as it did for the Boomers. The Germans turned it over a lot, falling behind in the third quarter, before making a run to tie it up at the final break. It was tight in the fourth quarter before Deutschland took control by repeatedly getting to the line and making shots, ending on an 18-11 run to win by seven points.

The Germans drew 26 fouls on Nigeria, getting to the free throw line 23 times where they made 19. They also hit 12 three-pointers on 26 attempts and won the rebound count 35-28.

Five players scored in double-digits for a nice spread of scoring.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">???? <a href="https://twitter.com/DBB_Basketball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DBB_Basketball</a> ????<br><br>Germany survive an epic battle after posting their highest scoring tally in the Olympics!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Tokyo2020?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Tokyo2020</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Basketball?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Basketball</a> <a href="https://t.co/hsggmVbQO2">pic.twitter.com/hsggmVbQO2</a></p>— FIBA #Tokyo2020 (@FIBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/FIBA/status/1420215870316453892?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 28, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Ranked 17th by FIBA, this team is missing some talent with Dennis Schröder not added due to insurance requirements unable to be met, Franz Wagner, the younger brother of Moritz (Orlando Magic) in New York for the NBA Draft, while Maxi Kleber, Isaiah Hartenstein and Daniel Theis made themselves unavailable.

The Boomers last faced Germany in group play at the 2010 FIBA World Championships with Australia winning comfortably 78-43. That means little though as both teams are very different now. Patty Mills, Joe Ingles and Aron Baynes are the only players who played from either team 11 years ago.

The roster the Germans do have in Tokyo may be missing some headline names, but still features two NBA players and a collection of EuroLeague talent.

Who are the players to watch, who are their X-factors, and what will the Boomers need to focus on to get another victory?

Players to Watch - Germany

Moritz Wagner: Like Gallinari for Italy, Mo Wagner is the most recognisable name on this team, and comes off the bench for Coach Henrik Roedl. Wagner, who just completed his third season in the NBA, has already played for four different franchises. This past season he started with the Washington Wizards, was traded to Boston, waived by the Celtics and then signed on with the Orlando Magic for the remainder of the season. Wagner is now an unrestricted free agent.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Mo Wagner with authority?<a href="https://t.co/XN3VEr3TiP">pic.twitter.com/XN3VEr3TiP</a></p>— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ballislife/status/1181360493044195328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 8, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

He averaged 6.9 points and 3.2 rebounds across 45 total games this past season, upping that to 11.0 points and 4.9 rebounds with Orlando.

Against Nigeria, he played just 12 minutes due to foul trouble, but played strongly, especially in transition and at the rim. Despite the limited time, Wagner finished with 17 points (6/8 from the floor, 2/2 from three), three rebounds and three steals.

In their opener against Italy, Wagner had 12 points (3/10 FG, 6-7 free-throws) and four rebounds in 20 minutes.

He’s a focal point offensively when he’s on the court, but hasn’t played huge minutes so far in this tournament. Still, he is someone who the Boomers will key on defensively as he has a number of weapons in his arsenal.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Mo Wagner drives baseline and stuffs it home! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAPreseason?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAPreseason</a> <br><br>??: <a href="https://t.co/LDaTosU5Iy">https://t.co/LDaTosU5Iy</a> <a href="https://t.co/InSTlQwkfZ">pic.twitter.com/InSTlQwkfZ</a></p>— NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1181358528075841542?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 7, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

At 6’11 and 245lb (111kg), he is a big body to handle down low. He has a solid post game that can likely be guarded straight up at times, but may require a double to be thrown at him occasionally if he gets going.

Wagner can stretch the floor too. He is comfortable facing up and has three-point range (2-2 vs Nigeria), although he’s not lights out from there (34.1 per cent this past NBA season). He is also not afraid to put the ball on the floor and drive to the basket, where he’s been effective at drawing contact.

Wagner is one of their best players and showed against Nigeria what kind of damage he can do, even in limited minutes.

Maodo Lô: A veteran of five seasons in the German BBL and Euroleague, Lô is a streaky combo guard who can get hot in a hurry. He shot 36.2 per cent from deep for Alba Berlin this past season but has made 8/16 threes in Germany’s two games so far in Tokyo.

Lô came off the bench in their opening game against Italy, getting red-hot on his way to 24 points (9/12 FG) with four boards, four assists and six triples. That strong play earned him the start over Niels Giffey against Nigeria.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Alleyoooop ?<br><br>Germany's Maodo Lo glided through the Italians to set up Danilo Barthel!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Tokyo2020?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Tokyo2020</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7Olympics?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7Olympics</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Basketball?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Basketball</a> <a href="https://t.co/1sy4aeAy1t">pic.twitter.com/1sy4aeAy1t</a></p>— 7Olympics (@7olympics) <a href="https://twitter.com/7olympics/status/1419178593305784321?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

In that one, Lô focused more on distributing, going for 13 points (2/7 3FG) but dishing nine assists. Unfortunately, the Nigerian length and some loose play with the ball caused him some problems as he had a whopping nine turnovers as well. The Boomers pressure can probably have a similar impact if a Matisse Thybulle or Dante Exum guards him at times.

Running Lô off the three-point line and making him create off the dribble, where he’s less comfortable, will be important. He’s only attempted two free throws so far in Tokyo so is much more likely to pass than try to put heat on the rim or score in the mid-range.

On the other end, attacking Lô, who is not the best defender, will be another way to make him work and slow him down offensively. He will likely guard Mills who should be super-aggressive against Lô.

Johannes Voigtmann: Another skilled big man to be concerned about, Voigtmann’s offensive game will be a focal point of the Boomers’ scouting report.

At 6’11 and 228lbs (103 kg), the 28-year old Euroleague veteran is coming off his second season with powerhouse club CSKA Moscow, where he averaged 9.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists and hit 44.7 per cent from three-point range. In fact, overall he shot 54.1 per cent from the floor, 44.7 from downtown and 81.2 from the foul line - some impressive clips.

He clearly has offensive talent and is most comfortable as the dive man in pick and roll action, pick and pop jumpers from the top, or spotting up on corner threes. Voigtmann also has a solid low-post game and is a smart passer out of the block, so throwing a double at him isn’t necessarily a solution to slowing him down.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="ru" dir="ltr">Johannes Voigtmann 2020-2021 Highlights ??<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CSKAbasketTV?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CSKAbasketTV</a> ???????????? ????? ??????? ???????? ??????-????? <a href="https://twitter.com/jumbo_jo7?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jumbo_jo7</a> ? <a href="https://t.co/ucg2mwEeNj">pic.twitter.com/ucg2mwEeNj</a></p>— CSKA Moscow (@cskabasket) <a href="https://twitter.com/cskabasket/status/1412677093989695490?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 7, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Against Italy, he struggled a little with foul trouble and turnovers, but did have four assists and six boards, while against Nigeria, ‘Big Joe’ got it going with 19 points on 7/11 shooting including two triples. He also had 7 boards.

Voigtmann is not much a shot blocker, averaging just 0.4 blocks this past season for CSKA and is yet to block a shot in Tokyo, so he can be challenged at the rim. It will be important for Landale, Nick Kay and now Duop Reath to be aggressive against him as getting him into foul trouble is a great way to limit his offensive impact.

Andreas Obst: There’s a cheeky resemblance to Cam Gliddon with Obst, both in appearance and in his game. Yes, both sport a moustache, but it’s much more than that.

Obst is a sweet shooting two guard, who can get hot in a hurry and when he does, tends to make an impact.

That was certainly the case against Italy, as he hit three straight threes in the first quarter to get Germany going and while he slowed down in the second half of that one (finishing 4/9 from deep), he hit another three triples against Nigeria and has scored 12 points in both games.

Obst isn’t the defender that Gliddon is but he does have active hands and can get in the passing lanes. He’s had a steal in both games and had four steals in two different games this past season for Ratiopharm Ulm in Germany.

Obst will make shots if given some daylight, so it will be important for the Boomers to stay attached, lock and trail on screening actions and close out hard to make him put the ball on the floor where he’s less comfortable.

At just 6’3, he doesn’t have great size for a two guard, so defenders like Thybulle and Exum should be able to bother him with their length.

The X-Factors

Isaac Bonga: Die Mannschaft’s second NBA player is less well known. Bonga is one of those tantalising prospects that hasn’t yet put it all together, but certainly possess some rare qualities that cannot be overlooked.

It starts with the fact that he’s a 6’8 point forward. In fact, he started the opening game against Italy at point guard and played very well with 13 points (5/8 FG, 2/4 3FG), four assists, three rebounds, two steals and two blocks.

However, against Nigeria, while sliding over to the three spot with Lô brought in at the point, Bonga struggled to make an impact offensively. He had just 5 points (2/5 FG), three assists and six boards.

Coming off his second season with the Washington Wizards and third season overall, Bonga averaged just 2.0 points and 1.7 rebounds in 10.8 minutes per game across 40 games. His season high this season was just 10 points and he’s yet to top 17 points in an NBA game.

Bonga is a career 30.2 per cent shooter from long range and is much more comfortable getting into the paint and attacking the rim. Even the mid-range is not really a strength of his, so he’s more likely to make an impact defensively.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Isaac Bonga notched a double-double tonight, scoring 15 points and grabbing 12 boards! ?<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WizClippers?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WizClippers</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/isaacbonga?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@isaacbonga</a> <a href="https://t.co/l66M7OnKtc">pic.twitter.com/l66M7OnKtc</a></p>— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) <a href="https://twitter.com/WashWizards/status/1287216066628685825?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 26, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

With a 6’11 wingspan, he can get into passing lanes, disrupt shooters and is an effective rebounder. He’s not a great shot-blocker, but can challenge them. Unfortunately, though, his frame gets him pushed around at times as he’s just 180lbs (81kg).

Bonga is someone who can make an impact in a variety of ways, but is unlikely to really dominate in any one area of the game.

Danilo Barthel: After struggling to make an impact against Italy with just five points and one rebound, Barthel was a huge reason why Germany was able to overcome Nigeria on Wednesday.

He is a workhorse and that’s exactly what he did down the stretch as he established himself in the low block and went to work. When all was said and done, he had drawn seven fouls against the D’Tigers on his way to making 6/7 free throws and 4/4 field goals for 14 points, with 12 of those coming in the fourth quarter.

Barthel, who played for Fenerbahce last season in Turkey and Euroleague, is a 6’10, 220lb (100kg) power forward with some range and a good sense of how to be effective for this team.

He’s not going to light you up but can get on these rolls as he did on Wednesday, so is someone to be mindful of.

Barthel is not a great rebounder, nor a shot-blocker, but his ability to draw contact has to be respected, so our bigs will need to play solid, honest defence against him when he has it in the low block.

If you don’t allow Barthel to get going, he’s unlikely to do much damage.

Boomers Keys to the Game

Germany is in many ways a similar proposition to the Italians in terms of the Boomers match up with them, but they’re not quite as talented.

Still, as we’ve seen, they compete really hard, play together, have shooters all over the floor and can get hot.

The Boomers spoke after the Italian game about the defensive breakdowns they need to correct. That is probably the major focus coming into this game tomorrow as if they can correct those lapses, make sure the help is ready and the rotations and communication is on point, then it’s likely this German team may never truly get going offensively.

If not, the Germans have shown a great ability to draw fouls and that could prove a problem as the game goes on.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Australian Boomer Aron Baynes has been ruled out of any further play at the Olympics with a neck injury. The close knit team have rallied around him. Patty Mills ‘we’ve got Baynesy’s back, we’ll cover for him’. <a href="https://t.co/YdTdFJPK1m">https://t.co/YdTdFJPK1m</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Basketball?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Basketball</a> <a href="https://t.co/uHCE7RwVS3">pic.twitter.com/uHCE7RwVS3</a></p>— Basketball Australia (@BasketballAus) <a href="https://twitter.com/BasketballAus/status/1420898449185067012?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The Germans only forced nine turnovers against Italy and while Nigeria had 18, that says more about the style of play they dictate than anything the Germans do defensively.

Even without Baynes, the Boomers have the size to match the German bigs in Wagner, Voigtmann and Barthel with Landale, Kay and Duop Reath, so if they avoid foul trouble and cover for each other, they should be able to win the rebound count and also should be able to protect the paint.

Offensively, Bonga could spend some time on Patty Mills, but they don’t really have another match up for him, so expect Mills to be aggressive looking for his own shot. If they throw a double, we saw how well he can beat them or dump off to his bigs on Wednesday.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Patty got em' on skates ???<br><br>Boomers lead Italy 65-62 heading into the fourth! ??<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Tokyo2020?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Tokyo2020</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7Olympics?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7Olympics</a> <a href="https://t.co/VThscdEtxb">pic.twitter.com/VThscdEtxb</a></p>— 7Olympics (@7olympics) <a href="https://twitter.com/7olympics/status/1420317129476382723?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 28, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

And similarly, if Ingles, Dellavedova and Exum are aggressive in pick and roll sets, they should be able to find good shots on most possessions as while the Germans play hard, they don’t have the athleticism to compete with our ability to move the ball and move off the ball.

Expect someone like Matisse Thybulle to have a big impact in this one, while I wouldn’t be surprised to see a little more Josh Green as well. I’d also expect Chris Goulding to be the beneficiary of some of that pick and roll playmaking and find some open shots and get himself going in Tokyo.

It will be an adjustment without Baynes there. Landale, Kay and Reath will need to step up, while Goorjian will need to play some smaller line-ups with Ingles or Thybulle at the four spot on occasion. But they have the continuity and self-belief to cover for him.

Defensively, as long as the Boomers are locked in on limiting the ability of Obst, Voigtmann and Wagner from getting hot, whilst forcing Lô to be a passer rather than a shooter, then they should be able to build a lead early and manage the flow of the game from there.