The performance of Toronto Raptors guard Dennis Schroder in the 2023 FIBA World Cup has started to raise eyebrows. While the German side has some NBA talent percolating around their rank, it has been the Fred VanVleet replacement who has paced them offensively.
While Schroder and Franz Wagner received a great deal of praise for an unblemished group stage record that included an upset win over a deep Australia team, their skills were going to be put to the test once the group stage games were over and Germany would face the best of the best.
While Slovenia might not be an overly deep team, but they have the best player in this tournament at their disposal in MVP frontrunner Luka Doncic. Schroder needed to play the game of his life for Germany to come out victorious, and he had no issue dominating the Slovenian defense.
Germany ravaged Doncic and Slovenia in a 100-71 victory. While Doncic put up a respectable 23 points, six rebounds, and six assists, Schroder topped him by amassing 24 points on 8-11 shooting and 10 assists. Daniel Theis chipped in with 14 points, many of which came from Schroder’s assists.
Germany remains unblemished and hands Slovenia their 1st loss in the 100-71 #FIBAWC matchup 😤
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 3, 2023
(GER)
Dennis Schroder: 24 PTS, 10 AST, 8-of-11 FG, 4-of-7 3PT, 4-of-5 FT
Daniel Theis: 14 PTS, 7 REB, 7-of-12 FG
(SLO)
Luka Doncic: 23 PTS, 6 REB, 6 AST pic.twitter.com/n8p93O1y7V
Toronto Raptors PG Dennis Schroder beats Luka Doncic in FIBA World Cup.
Schroder has averaged 19.8 points per game on 50/38/86 shooting splits in the World Cup. If his production with the Raptors even approximates that, Toronto should feel more than pleased with the contract they handed out to him.
While Schroder has long been known as a dynamic player who can handle the ball and set up his teammates, the efficiency on display in this tournament has been sensational. While he isn’t always playing against professional-level defenders, Schroder has found it easy to get to the rim and finish.
The resiliency Schroder showed in this game was impressive, as Doncic helped the Slovenians take a 14-point lead very early in the game. The fact he was able to not only get Germany back in the contest, but also go on a run that preceded a 29-point victory, says a lot about his basketball character.
Dennis Schroder dishes it to Isaac Bonga for a catch-and-shoot 3, cutting Slovenia's lead to 32-28 with 3:43 remaining in the 2nd quarter. Slovenia held a lead as large as 14 points in the opening period.
— Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth) September 3, 2023
While Schroder is not going to score 25 points every single night with the Raptors (as lovely as that might have been, he is starting to show that reports of his demise as a basketball player have been greatly exaggerated. Getting a medal is by no means out of the question for Schroder and the Germans.