Josh Green and Josh Giddey have provided a glimpse of the Boomers’ future while Ben Simmons has teased again of a return for next year’s Olympics.
It was Green, Giddey and Xavier Cooks who starred in a must-win World Cup clash with hosts Japan on Tuesday night, 35-year-old pair Patty Mills and Joe Ingles taking back seats in the 109-89 win.
Giddey and Cooks didn’t make Australia’s squad that won a breakthrough bronze at Tokyo’s 2021 Olympics, while Green was a bench piece barely used.
Watch the latest sport on Channel 7 or stream for free on 7plus >>
But on Tuesday in Okinawa they combined to produce the Boomers’ highest World Cup total.
Coach Brian Goorjian labelled it an “evolution” after promoting Dallas swingman Green, 22, to start and watching 20-year-old Oklahoma playmaker Giddey take over the final quarter.
Cooks benefited from Japan’s defensive strategy to guard the three-ball at all costs, powering through the open key to score at the rim and dominate the boards.
“It’s a fun way to play,” Green said of the Boomers’ run-and-gun method that sealed a second-round berth.
“A little bit of a new way of what Australia has played like, but all the guys are on board with it.
“It brings a lot of energy; somebody like Xavier who rebounded everything. Great for him, but impacts everyone.
“It’s the way basketball is moving and we have a great team to be able to do that.”
Australia have a record nine NBA players on their World Cup roster but are still missing injured Houston centre Jock Landale and former All-Star guard Ben Simmons.
Landale was a late scratching while Simmons has not played for Australia in a major tournament, withdrawing from the squad ahead of the 2019 World Cup and not making himself available for Tokyo.
But he says he’ll be at full fitness to begin the NBA season with Brooklyn and is eyeing the Paris Olympics.
One of the sport’s most maligned figures, Simmons has struggled mentally and physically in the past two years.
But when fit and firing he offers another dimension to a new-look Boomers team keen to better that breakthrough bronze in Tokyo two years ago.
“Olympics? Yeah, 100 per cent. That’s what I want to do next year,” Simmons told Andscape.
“I want to play. That’s the other thing.
“I get messages from Australian people like, ‘Yo, you should be playing right now. Jock Landale is playing right now.’
“I’m going to play when I’m ready.
“There hasn’t really been a time where I’ve been prepared and ready physically.
“But next year, my goal is to be on the Olympic team.”
Australia will charge on without him in Okinawa when the second round begins on Friday.
The Boomers will likely face Luka Doncic’s Slovenia and Georgia, with games later on Wednesday to confirm their final pool standings.
Australia, who enter with a 2-1 record that carries over, need to win both of their next two matches to progress to the quarter-finals that will be contested in Manila.
If you’d like to view this content, please adjust your .
To find out more about how we use cookies, please see our Cookie Guide.