New roles, big changes: Every Australian star in the NBA analysed
With the NBA getting under way in just a couple of days time MATT LOGUE analyses every Australian star in the competition after an offseason full of huge changes, last chances and role swaps.
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Redemption, a fresh start, defying the doubters and daring to dream.
Australia’s 12 NBA stars face contrasting fortunes heading into a bumper 2024/25 season.
Can Ben Simmons stay injury-free and reignite his All-Star caliber career, will the Chicago Bulls allow Josh Giddey to run the show and can Patty Mills play significant minutes as a veteran on a young Utah team?
Those questions and many more will be answered in a blockbuster NBA season that will tip-off on Wednesday with defending champions the Boston Celtics hosting arch-rivals the New York Knicks.
BEN SIMMONS (BROOKLYN NETS)
Entering the final year of his five year, USD$177 million contract, this looks to be the last chance for Simmons to prove to the NBA world that he can get back close to what he was. He has looked more aggressive in the preseason, and should have every opportunity to be a big part of a Brooklyn team that looks likely to once again finish with a lottery pick. Simmons desperately needs an injury-free season to maximise his potential. When fit he has proven his ability and led Brooklyn to a 45-win pace when he is in the line-up, but if he isn’t fit and struggles he could find himself on the NBA chopping block.
JOSH GIDDEY (CHICAGO BULLS)
It’s a career-defining season for Giddey in Chicago – and if it is successful – he stands to take home his biggest ever pay packet.
Giddey is currently earning $8.3 million a season coming off a challenging season with the OKC Thunder before being benched during the playoffs and traded.
He averaged 12.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists at the Thunder last season and he’ll be looking to take a leap at the Bulls to secure the big bucks.
JOSH GREEN (CHARLOTTE HORNETS)
Green is at a fascinating juncture in his career. The Sydney-born swingman is coming off a NBA Finals loss with Dallas, a disappointing Olympic campaign with the Boomers where he didn’t score a point and he has been traded from the Mavericks to the Charlotte Hornets. The upside is Green has a fresh opportunity to play more minutes in an emerging Hornets side in the East.
If he can find a way to improve his shooting, especially from range (38.5 per cent last season), then he can make a significant impact at Charlotte.
DYSON DANIELS (ATLANTA HAWKS)
At just 21, Daniels has enormous upside and expect him to take another leap after being traded from New Orleans to the Atlanta Hawks.
The Melbourne-born guard is a defensive beast, as he showed for the Boomers at the Paris Olympics.
Watch for Daniels to give the Hawks a dogged presence on the defensive end and an athletic focus when running the floor and driving to the rim.
JOE INGLES (MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES)
Ingles is in the twilight years of his stellar NBA career, but the 37-year-old continues to make an impact in the world’s best basketball league.
He played 68 games for a young Orlando team last season, playing a vital veteran’s role off the bench with his shooting and three-point spark.
Ingles shot 43.5 percent from three for the Magic last season and he’ll look to maintain this form after being traded to Minnesota.
The Timberwolves – who lost to Dallas in the Western Conference Finals last season – are legitimate contenders again this year.
Ingles will be surrounded by star players, so he just has to play his role off the bench and he could enjoy significant success at the Wolves.
PATTY MILLS (UTAH JAZZ)
Will this be Mills’ last hurrah in the NBA following a championship-winning NBA career or can the veteran guard squeeze something extra out of his 36-year-old body?
That’s the big question for the veteran guard, who has linked with Utah on a one-year deal following a challenging 2023/24 NBA season.
Mills was traded twice last season and only played a combined 32 games for Atlanta and Miami, mostly off the bench.
The Boomers’ fan favourite still has plenty left in his ageing legs, as he displayed at the Paris Olympics, and he’ll need to lean on that energy at Utah this season.
JOCK LANDALE (HOUSTON ROCKETS)
Landale has proven he belongs in the NBA – now it’s time to make a leap in his fourth season in the big league.
The Melbourne-born big man is a capable bench option for Houston with his presence in the paint, but he also has the potential to improve his scoring.
Landale only averaged 4.9 points in his 56 games for the Rockets last season and he has the ability to dramatically improve this statistic.
JACK MCVEIGH (HOUSTON ROCKETS)
The NBL’s reigning grand final MVP and Tasmania champion-winner has secured one of Houston’s two-way roster spots for the 2024/25 season.
McVeigh will most likely spend the majority of his time in the NBA’s G League feeder competition, but he’ll make the most of any opportunities he receives in the big league.
If he plays a handful of NBA games, it’s a major win for the affable sharpshooter from NSW’s south coast.
DANTE EXUM (DALLAS MAVERICKS)
Expect the Melbourne-born guard to make a significant contribution for Dallas when he returns from injury.
Exum excelled as a backup guard during the Mavs’ run to the NBA Finals last season and he’ll do the same this year if given the chance.
JOHNNY FURPHY (INDIANA PACERS)
An ankle injury sidelined Furphy for the pre-season games, but he remains a chance to return to action in the foreseeable future.
It’s most likely he plays in the G League, but he has the potential to perform strongly on the NBA stage based on his Summer League stint.
Furphy averaged 14 points, 6 rebounds and 1 assist in Las Vegas. His biggest issue may well be the Pacers’ bench depth, with the likes of Bennedict Mathurin, Kendall Brown and Jarace Walker all competing for NBA minutes.
MATISSE THYBULLE (PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS)
Thybulle will be fired up for a strong NBA season after missing out on the Boomers’ Paris Olympic squad, but a knee injury isn’t ideal.
He is expected to miss between three and four weeks after having surgery on his right knee. When fit, Thybulle has a willingness to shoot the three ball, while his defence is world-class.
DUOP REATH (PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS)
Reath proved to the basketball world that he belongs in the NBA after impressing in his 68 games for Portland last season.
The Boomers big man ended his preseason with a 14-point, five-rebound, three-steal and two-assist performance in 23 minutes in a win over Utah. He looks destined for a big season.
*Fellow Australians Luke Travers (Cleveland Cavaliers) and Alex Ducas (OKC Thunder) are also on two-way deals and will predominantly play G League
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