NBA clubs can’t compete with Germany, says national team star and Raptors guard Dennis Schroder after upsetting Team USA at World Cup: ‘This is the best team I’ve played on’
Dennis Schroder has taken a dig at all the former NBA teams that he’s ever played for after helping the German national team upset Team USA in the FIBA World Cup semifinals.
The 29-year-old guard, who signed with the Raptors over the summer, raised a few eyebrows when he was asked about where he ranks Team Germany among all the teams that he’s ever played for in his 11-year NBA career, so far, after Friday’s win in the Philippines.Â
‘I think this is the best team I’ve ever played on, whether it’s the NBA or national team,’ said Schroder, according to BasketNews.Â
If Schroder truly meant his comment, then that would mean that he believes that the German squad is better than the Lakers, who he was apart of last season prior to free agency.
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Los Angeles fell to the Denver Nuggets – the eventual NBA champions – in this year’s Western Conference Finals.Â
NBA star Dennis Schroder has claimed that he’s played for a better team than the LA Lakers
Schroder, 29, labelled the German national team as ‘the best team’ that he has ever played for
That Lakers squad was built around LeBron James and Anthony Davis. It also had impactful role players in the mold of Rui Hachimura, Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell, following a couple of midseason trades at the deadline.Â
Schroder, who’s now on a two-year, $26million with Toronto, is currently playing with the likes of Mo Wagner, Franz Wagner, and Daniel Theis – all NBA players – on team Germany. He previously suited up for the Thunder, Hawks, Celtics, and Rockets.Â
Guard Andreas Obst carried Germany past the U.S. with his tournament-high 24 points and six assists on Friday, including a clutch 3-pointer to build a comfortable lead before fending off a late rally by the Stars and Stripes.
Wagner added 22 points while Theis, a power forward for the Pacers, contributed 21 points, to usher Germany into their first ever World Cup final.Â
Schroder playing for the Lakers during the 2022-23 season. He’s now a guard for the Raptors
Germany shockingly overthrew Team USA, 113-111, in the FIBA World Cup semifinals on Friday
‘We played good defense, we were running around and we stayed mentally tough from first to the last guy,’ Obst told reporters.Â
Friday’s game was the highest-scoring tournament game since 1994, according to FIBA.Â
Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards led the United States with 23 points and eight rebounds. Fan favourite Austin Reaves provided a spark off the bench, scoring 21 points.
‘The main point of the loss was just we weren’t ever able to make them feel us defensively,’ Team USA head coach Steve Kerr told a press conference.
Team USA, ranked second by FIBA, will face Canada for third place on Sunday. They finished seventh, their worst-ever major international tournament result, in the 2019 edition.
