Dennis Schroder on facing Giannis Antetokounmpo: 'We're ready' / News - Basketnews.com

Dennis Schroder believes Germany can take down Greece if they limit fast-break opportunities. The guard also showed optimism about his 3-point shooting percentage, claiming that it's temporary.

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

Germany has been one of the more surprising teams to watch in EuroBasket 2022. Coming in as underdogs in Group B, not only did they beat France and Lithuania, they did it in style.

After beating Montenegro in the Round of 16, Germany now faces Greece in a single-elimination quarterfinal (20:30 CET). The captain of the team, Dennis Schroder, knows the mountain they will have to climb but never loses confidence neither in himself nor his teammates.

"We want to be in the quarterfinals and compete with the best," Schroder said in an interview with Sportschau. "Giannis Antetokounmpo is, of course, one of the best basketball players at the moment, but we're ready, we've trained well, and we're in good spirits."

"We all have to be committed and run straight back with focus every time we score. He can do a one-man fastbreak against three, four people," the guard explained. "We have to do a good job as a team and be disciplined. If we manage to get them to play half-court, that's good, they're worse there than in the fast break."

Led by Schroder and Franz Wagner, Germany faces a tough hill to climb. Johannes Voigtmann sat out the Monday practice due to illness, while Wagner and Nick Weiler-Babb only trained individually.

However, the team chemistry is exceptional, Schroder says. Although they may lack world-class talent in one area or another, Germany compensates it with passion on the court.

"We just came from training, had lunch together, and now everyone has their own time," Schroder said. "People have families here, spend time with them or go out to eat together as a team, or play cards or Call of Duty on the Playstation. I also played backgammon. We didn't have this team chemistry in the past, but now this summer, it's different."

One of the ways Dimitris Itoudis' Greece will try to defend against Germany will be by daring Schroder to shoot from outside while going under the screens.

Although the guard averages 7.2 three-point attempts per game (tied-8th in EuroBasket 2022), his shooting percentage sits at only 22.2% (135th). Nevertheless, the numbers do not concern Schroder.

"I work on it every day. I'm always confident, and I shoot my shots, which I train every day. Whether they fall or not - you can't control that. I bring much more than just points or my three-pointers," the free agent guard explained. "They'll fall better tomorrow."

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