'I hope I don’t have to': Dennis Schroder’s horrible showing against Latvia prompts teammate to ask for better

Despite an 81-79 win against Latvia, Dennis Schroder's struggles on Wednesday were a thing of concern for Germany in its FIBA Basketball World Cup quarterfinal at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

The Toronto Raptors guard, Germany's main offensive weapon during its first five games, only made nine points on 4-of-23 shooting.

Schroder also became the second player to go 0-for-8 from 3-point range in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, the worst performance by a player from 22 feet out, the other being Piter Girgoorian.

Good thing for Schroder, other players stepped up for Germany, including Johannes Thiemann.

The Alba Berlin big man had a perfect game, going 4-for-4 from the field and 2-of-2 from the foul line for 10 points with seven rebounds in nearly 19 minutes of play off the bench.

Despite the stellar performance that made him the player of the game, Thiemann actually said that he hoped he might not need to rely on himself again to help Germany cop the victory.

Thiemann told the media during the post-game press conference:

"I hope I don't have to."

He even downplayed his game a bit, saying he was just playing the role he was given.

"I just tried to give the team a push from the bench and do my stuff, and luckily it worked," Thiemann said.

He then assured the reporters from various media houses, including Sportskeeda, that he would make a conscious effort to play a similar game on Friday night when Germany takes on Team USA in the semifinals.

"I will try for sure," Thiemann said.

However, Johannes Thiemann implied that he is also expecting a better performance from his teammates, including Dennis Schroder, if Germany wants to stun the mighty Team USA.

"I hope in the next game, it's not needed," he said.

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These German players stepped up for Dennis Schroder, too

The Wagner Brothers also provided major help for Germany in Dennis Schroder's rough night.

Franz Wagner led Germany with 16 points, eight rebounds and three assists, while Mo Wagner also went perfect with 3-of-3 field goals and 6-of-6 free throws for 12 points with four rebounds, one assist and two steals. Andreas Obst made 13 points and two rebounds, too, for Germany.

Schroder actually helped Germany pull away from Latvia a bit after scoring five straight points to help his team open a 10-point lead before escaping Latvia's last push.