Germany’s attention has now fully turned to their upcoming Quarter-Finals clash with Slovenia at EuroBasket 2025. The team knows that containing one of the tournament’s brightest stars, Luka Doncic, will require a collective defensive effort.
Speaking ahead of the matchup in Xiaomi Arena, Johannes Thiemann emphasized the importance of teamwork against the Slovenian superstar.
“Luka is an amazing player. He’s so talented, so it’s going to be tough against him, but on the other side it’s a team sport. We all have to make a collective group effort to defend them, to lock him down, to get our best defense against Slovenia. Overall, they’re a good team, but I’m confident that we were able to control them to a certain extent,” said the 31-year-old big man.
Thiemann acknowledged Doncic’s standout performance in the Round of 16, when the Slovenian star scored 42 points to lift his country over Italy.
“You can’t stop him, of course, you can only contain,” he explained. “We all saw what he can do. He’s a great player, but it’s a team sport and we gotta, as I said, we got to do our best effort as a team to contain him a little and win the game.”
Germany has also been monitoring other surprises from the Round of 16, including Finland’s upset of Serbia on Saturday.
“Obviously, it’s a surprise that they won against Serbia, but I also thought it would be a close game because they have a lot of talent. I also thought they had good matchups against Serbia. They played with heart and were aggressive,” said Thiemann, highlighting the unpredictability of the tournament.
France’s unexpected loss to Georgia on Sunday was another reminder that anything can happen at EuroBasket.
“I think we’ve been a favorite and we also have the strength, but we don’t look at that stuff like that,” said Thiemann. “We want to play our game,” he added, keeping the focus on Germany’s own preparation.
So far in the tournament, Thiemann has contributed 6.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game across six appearances, including the Round of 16 victory over Portugal.
A newcomer to the senior national team, Tristan da Silva has made an immediate impact, averaging 10.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.0 blocks, 1.0 steals, and 0.5 assists per game.
Thiemann praised the fresh energy the young player brings.
“Well, I think we were kind of like a well-oiled machine, but Tristan brings new energy to the team. He brings shooting, a certain type of grit,” he said. “For sure, it’s not easy for him to have his first summer here, but he’s doing a great job helping the team, providing scoring, defense.”
Germany will need every player firing on all cylinders if they are to contain Doncic and Slovenia and advance further in the tournament.
With Germany preparing to face Slovenia, Johannes Thiemann talks about containing Luka Doncic
— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) September 8, 2025
🗣️ “We all saw what he can do. He’s a great player, but it’s a team sport”
➕ Praise of Tristan da Silva#EuroBaskethttps://t.co/pzmyVlaolY
