On the evening when the German national basketball team enters the European Championship, the man who has won medals with them in this century will also be there.

With his diligence and talent, Dirk Nowitzki, the greatest player in the history of German basketball, made possible what few thought possible: World Cup bronze in Indianapolis (2002) and European Championship silver in Belgrade (2005).

Before the home tournament in Cologne (preliminary round) and Berlin (final round), the German Basketball Association ordered that Nowitzki's number 14 be taken under the covers - and no longer be awarded in the national team.

This Thursday (8.30 p.m. on MagentaSport) Germany will play France in the first European Championship game – and national coach Gordon Herbert says: “We want a medal.” His requirement is understandable.

There have never been so many German players seeded in the NBA and the Euroleague, the two most important leagues in this sport.

And yet you should be careful: the Germans don't have Nowitzki.

Basketball is a complex sport, but in such tournaments with short training times, it can sometimes be uncomplicated: in a game, they say, the team with the best player wins.

And four of the five German preliminary round opponents have at least one damn good player.

The French have Evan Fournier and Rudy Gobert.

The Bosnians have Jusuf Nurkić.

Lithuanians have Domantas Sabonis and Jonas Valančiūnas.

And the Slovenians have Luka Dončić.

In the post-Nowitzki national team, the Germans' trump card should be the depth of the squad.

That could also work.

But if not, then probably because important players under the basket didn't want to or couldn't: Maxi Kleber, Isaiah Hartenstein and Tibor Pleiß canceled before the preparation.

Moritz Wagner was injured in preparation.

What does that mean for the home EM?

A tournament like this in your own country is always a unique opportunity.

But you also have to be realistic: This European Championship, which is only broadcast by MagentaSport, will not trigger a basketball boom in Germany.

But she could at least show in Cologne and Berlin how many German players have established themselves at the highest international level since Nowitzki's career ended.

The problem is: It's not unrealistic that it could already be over for the German team in Cologne.