Former Lakers teammates will face off in FIBA World Cup semifinal
Austin Reaves and Dennis Schröder were once teammates, but now the two will be facing off on the international stage when the United States plays Germany in the FIBA World Cup semifinals Friday.
The two spent the 2022-23 season as teammates on the Los Angeles Lakers and both seem to have the utmost respect for the other. Speaking with NBA reporter Nicole Ganglani, Schröder, who now plays for the Toronto Raptors, spoke about their time together and the matchup ahead.
"That's my guy man. I ain't got nothing but love for him. He's my guy. Last year was special, what we accomplished as teammates and yeah, I'm looking forward to it."
When asked about Schröder, Reaves also had nothing but respect for his former teammate, praising the 10-year veteran for everything he taught him.
Schröder has easily been Germany's best player and is a big reason why the team is undefeated in the tournament. Averaging 18 points and 6.3 assists, the crafty 6-foot-1 guard has put his full offensive arsenal on display, whether it's finding center Daniel Theis for easy alley-oops or finding one of Germany's many lethal three-point shooters for open shots.
Although Reaves' role on Team USA is smaller than Schröder's, he's been no less important to his team's success. He is the team's third-leading scorer with 11 points per game, and third in assists with three per game. He plays the role of connector on this team, meaning he keeps the ball moving, shoots when he's open and overall has a knack for making the right read every time. He is also being prone to the occasional highlight play.
Schröder is coming off his worst game of the tournament, against Latvia in the quarterfinals, a paltry nine points on 4-of-26 shooting. It will be interesting to see how he responds against a more physically dominant United States team that steamrolled through Italy in their quarterfinal game, with Reaves scoring 12 points, four rebounds and three assists on 3-of-4 shooting.
Regardless of who comes out on top to play for the gold, it will be a thrilling matchup against two well-coached teams that have both been standout performers in the tournament. Although Team USA has the more talented roster on paper, Germany is no slouch and is the only team left that has remained undefeated.
The United States and Germany will tip off at 8:30 a.m. ET on Friday, and will be televised on ESPN2 and streamed on ESPN+.
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