Our men's national team is embarking on a golden era of talent somewhat comparable to the Socceroos a little over 10 years ago. We now have more NBA depth than any nation outside of the US (and possibly Canada) and with Basketball Australia recently signing a new CBA which will considerably improve the work conditions for anyone representing Australia, our best players now have more incentive to play for the Boomers than ever before. So let's begin with our current starting 5:
Guards: Ben Simmons (208cm, VIC, Philadelphia 76ers) and Patty Mills (183cm, ACT, San Antonio Spurs)
Forwards: Joe Ingles (203cm, SA, Utah Jazz) and Thon Maker (216cm, WA, Milwaukee Bucks)
Centre: Aron Baynes (208cm, QLD, Boston Celtics)
And what about bench depth?
Backup guards: Matthew Dellavedova (193cm, VIC, Cleveland Cavaliers) and Dante Exum (198cm, VIC, Utah Jazz)
Backup forwards: Ryan Broekhoff (201cm, VIC, Dallas Mavericks) and Jonah Bolden (208cm, NSW, Philadelphia 76ers)
Backup centre: Andrew Bogut (213cm, VIC, Sydney Kings)
Although Bogut is currently playing in the NBL, we know he is still capable of playing at the NBA standard right now so we essentially have 10 guys who are all playing at the NBA standard. From here, we start to move into Euroleague, NBL, College and High school players. One high school senior that definitely deserves a mention is Sydney native Josh Green from the IMG Academy in Florida:
Josh is a 198cm shooting guard and is predicted to be a top 10 pick in the 2020 NBA draft. He recently committed to playing college ball for Arizona next year and will likely be our second best player behind Simmons in the near future. Two indigenous guards in Tamuri Wigness and William McDowell-White may also be worth keeping an eye on terms of making it to the NBA but certainly aren't on the same level as Green.
So, how do we like our chances for claiming an inaugural medal at the 2019 FIBA World Cup or the 2020 Olympics? With the exception of the US, our main competitors for medals are Spain, France, Serbia and Canada. However, I feel we have more talented players than those nations and should start favourites against all of them (presuming our best players compete).
Guards: Ben Simmons (208cm, VIC, Philadelphia 76ers) and Patty Mills (183cm, ACT, San Antonio Spurs)
Forwards: Joe Ingles (203cm, SA, Utah Jazz) and Thon Maker (216cm, WA, Milwaukee Bucks)
Centre: Aron Baynes (208cm, QLD, Boston Celtics)
And what about bench depth?
Backup guards: Matthew Dellavedova (193cm, VIC, Cleveland Cavaliers) and Dante Exum (198cm, VIC, Utah Jazz)
Backup forwards: Ryan Broekhoff (201cm, VIC, Dallas Mavericks) and Jonah Bolden (208cm, NSW, Philadelphia 76ers)
Backup centre: Andrew Bogut (213cm, VIC, Sydney Kings)
Although Bogut is currently playing in the NBL, we know he is still capable of playing at the NBA standard right now so we essentially have 10 guys who are all playing at the NBA standard. From here, we start to move into Euroleague, NBL, College and High school players. One high school senior that definitely deserves a mention is Sydney native Josh Green from the IMG Academy in Florida:
Josh is a 198cm shooting guard and is predicted to be a top 10 pick in the 2020 NBA draft. He recently committed to playing college ball for Arizona next year and will likely be our second best player behind Simmons in the near future. Two indigenous guards in Tamuri Wigness and William McDowell-White may also be worth keeping an eye on terms of making it to the NBA but certainly aren't on the same level as Green.
So, how do we like our chances for claiming an inaugural medal at the 2019 FIBA World Cup or the 2020 Olympics? With the exception of the US, our main competitors for medals are Spain, France, Serbia and Canada. However, I feel we have more talented players than those nations and should start favourites against all of them (presuming our best players compete).
