By Cesare Milanti / info@eurohoops.net
Never change a winning team, they say. But what defines ‘team’? A bond of athletes who, thanks to cultural, social, sporting closeness, come together to be successful. On wooden floors around Europe, for example.
This version of FC Bayern Munich coached by Gordon Herbert perfectly sums up the definition of a well-equipped and strong team, for different and various reasons.
Starting with the novelty of having the German national team’s former head coach, who has been capable of writing the country’s basketball history in recent times, bringing his style to one of the most decorated German powerhouses.
But also relying on continuity, considering the vast majority of Bayern’s roster is composed of players who have been around Munich for more than one Oktoberfest.
Now to the more difficult question: what defines a ‘winning team’? Well, the ones who are superior enough to finish with trophies in their hands at the end of the season, that’s the easy answer.
The genesis of a winning team could also rely on going on a 25-0 run in a Turkish Airlines EuroLeague game, considering how extremely difficult that is.
Bayern did just that at SAP Garden against Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade, one of their fiercest rivals in the race to make the EuroLeague Playoffs, finishing with a crucial 100-82 win in Round 28.
As said, never change a winning team and therefore the players who are key to that success: Nick Weiler-Babb didn’t rest for a single minute during that 25-0 run.
Installing confidence spreads confidence
This is the 29-year-old American-German guard’s fifth season in the EuroLeague, all of which have come with Bayern. But he has never played like this.
Starting the regular season scoreless, with 4 assists but also 3 turnovers in a home win over Real Madrid, could have been reason for concern, but since then Weiler-Babb has been on a roll.
“I would say the main difference [from this to past seasons] is being able to play at point guard. I think in the last couple of years I haven’t been able to [play at point guard],” the Bayern star tells Eurohoops.
The first certainty from the current campaign to last season in Germany is Weiler-Babb’s undeniable status as a member of Bayern’s starting five, missing only Round 19 (88-76 loss in Madrid) and Round 20 (112-69 loss in Piraeus) due to a left thumb injury. He has started in all 26 of the games he has played this season.
“I was playing off the ball and kind of filling in when guys got hurt. Being able to start the season knowing that I’m playing as point guard and knowing that I can play with a lot more confidence, I think that’s the main difference. It’s just the confidence of being able to play the position I’m the most comfortable in.”
Described by Gordon Herbert as the “best all-around player in Germany”, his status may expand to one of the best all-around players in Europe. With six games left in the regular season, he is first in steals (1.7), sixth in assists (5.4), and 33rd (4.4) in rebounds per game in the whole EuroLeague – you read that right, not only among guards.
All this while tying his best scoring average at 7.7 points per game, thus far recording his highest three-point percentage (41.3%) with over 4.0 attempts per game. Something he might have learned from the best shooter in the game, his teammate and countryman Andreas Obst. “It makes it a lot easier with him on the court,” Weiler-Babb says of Bayern’s sharpshooter. “Having guys like Andi, Carsen [Edwards], and Niels [Giffey], who take a lot of attention away, I get a lot more open shots than I would maybe [do] in different situations. “The main thing we talked about with Andi is just have confidence shooting. To not hesitate when I’m open, just having confidence because the team and those guys have confidence in me as well.”
Most importantly, having improved in other aspects of his game hasn’t stopped him from still being recognized as one of the best defenders in the EuroLeague.
“I’ve been doing it for a long time, even since college. I think it’s one thing that my dad told me to focus on when I hadn’t hit my growth spurt yet when I was younger; that was going to get me on the court,” he recalls from his early days.
Going overseas to Germany in 2019-20 with Ludwigsburg, he was moved from point guard to power forward for the team’s overall good. That not only slowed down his playmaking improvements but also reduced his defensive capabilities.
Things changed upon moving to Bayern in 2020, a career-changing decision. “Maybe [I wasn’t a defensive specialist] as much during my rookie year in Ludwigsburg, but [then-coach Andrea] Trinchieri was really big on defense, and it pushed me. I just kept it with me, I know it was gonna help my game in Europe,” he says.
If anybody wonders, there’s strong and tough competition to be crowned Defensive Player of the Year in the EuroLeague. So, who’s the best defensive player in the league not named Nick Weiler Babb?
“I like Jerian Grant, he’s also a very good defender. I think somebody who’s underrated on the defensive end is [Isaia] Cordinier from Virtus Bologna. I like the way he plays. I think he’s an underrated defensive guy. These two are great.”
From national team glory to club success
It’s pretty likely Weiler-Babb wouldn’t have had such room for improvement without Gordon Herbert returning to the EuroLeague after coaching the German national team during a three-year stint – that’s the coach who gave him the opportunity of playing internationally.
“Having to coach the national team for the past three years, it took him not as long as people maybe thought to make that adjustment. From only having to coach for a few weeks during the year, he’s managing that well,” Weiler-Babb comments. “He’s taking it very strongly with the guys around him; bringing Daniel [Herbert] and TJ [Parker] among others has helped a bunch. He’s taking it very seriously and I think he’s done a great job. He adjusted a lot faster than people thought he would in the situation we have.”
Weiler-Babb not only managed to debut with Germany in August 2022 and then go on to win the bronze medal at FIBA EuroBasket 2022. This past summer, he even turned what he didn’t even know could be a dream of his into reality.
“Honestly, I had never even thought about playing in the Olympics when I was younger growing up. I never even thought about it being a possibility at all,” he says.
“Of course, we used to watch the Olympic Games growing up and thought it was one of the one of the best events to be a part of, but I never thought I would have the chance to play. It was a great experience.”
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During Coach Herbert’s three-year spell in charge of the German national team, Weiler-Babb further strengthened his basketball relationships within the country. “Overall, the national team has been a great experience for me to build a bond with those guys, the teammates,” he explains.
“It’s worked out having Gordie here now in Munich as I played for him for two summers in the national team – that helped our relationship as well. We’ll see what happens for the summertime, but we’ve got a lot of seasons left before that starts.”
Exactly. Before thinking of repeating Germany’s success at FIBA EuroBasket 2025, there are still six tough challenges awaiting Bayern: Anadolu Efes Istanbul, Partizan Mozzart Belgrade, and Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul at home, as well as playing Baskonia-Vitoria Gasteiz, FC Barcelona, and Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv on the road.
“I think it’s going to be a tough stretch; we still have some very tough games left on our schedule. With the limited roster we have, we just got to make sure everybody stays as healthy as possible,” Weiler-Babb says.
“I think the main thing is we just keep playing the way we want to play, and we don’t let other teams dictate the way we play. We control our own fate. I think we have very good potential to win some more games, get in the playoffs and make a good push.”
If Coach Herbert’s team manages to clinch a spot in the play-in or the playoffs, it would be the third time Weiler-Babb has participated in the EuroLeague postseason following back-to-back playoff experiences in 2020-21 and 2021-22.
It would be a different version of the 29-year-old point guard vocabulary-wise, for sure. “My German speaking-wise has gotten a lot better since 2020. I wouldn’t say it’s perfect, but I can get by pretty well. Having funny conversations and learning from the team has helped a lot,” he mentions.
“I think the national team helped the most, being able to spend those two months with those guys; they were kind of forcing me to speak and to listen to what they were saying.”
Extending his contract with Bayern this past summer for two more years, postponing its expiration in 2026, it looks like he’s destined to take some more German classes. “I love Germany,” Bayern’s point guard assures.
“Me, my wife, and my son, who was born here, have found a second home here. It has been a great place for us. I have another year on my contract and we’ll see what happens with that. I’d love to stay in Munich, I love the city as a whole.”
Whether Bayern ends up being a winning team at the end of Round 34, potentially making their way to the play-in or the playoffs, it is yet to be found out. Regardless of that outcome, Weiler-Babb remains a key cog of the German team’s harmonic and fast-flowing system. And he loves it that way.
PHOTO CREDIT: Turkish Airlines EuroLeague