Ben Simmons to headline Boomers’ ‘Generation-Next’ Olympic team

After a couple of days to catch his breath, Andrej Lemanis will be ready to pick up the phone and shift his focus to Tokyo, where his Boomers team could look very different.

Matt Logue

3 min read

September 16, 2019 - 8:51AM

NBA All-Star Ben Simmons is set to headline a significant Boomers overhaul heading into the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after the team blew a golden chance to claim a maiden medal at the World Cup.

Basketball Australia Chairman Ned Coten told The Daily Telegraph that he expects Simmons to lead an Australian side dominated by overseas players.

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NBA All-Star Ben Simmons is set to headline a significant Boomers overhaul heading into the 2020 Tokyo Olympics

“Ben has consistently said to us that he wants to play for Australia,” Coten said.

“Circumstances were not in the favour of that happening for the World Cup but I have no doubt that he is absolutely committed as an Australian player as are the others who couldn’t play at the Cup and desperately wanted to.

“A number of the players in the World Cup team have been getting messages from those guys not playing.

“It shows the level of commitment that all of those players have and the culture around it.”

Members of Australia's team react after they lost to France in their third-place match in the FIBA Basketball World Cup at the Cadillac Arena in Beijing, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2019. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Coten also declared coach Andrej Lemanis faces some difficult selection decisions in the lead-up to Tokyo.

The Boomers will be boosted by NBA names like Simmons, Dante Exum, Thon Maker and Ryan Broekhoff.

This means reliable local bench players from this year’s World Cup campaign like Nick Kay, Mitch Creek and Chris Goulding face a battle to make the final roster.

Coten, though, believes Kay, Creek and Goulding have demonstrated they belong in the Boomers’ program.

“Kay, for example – I’d be absolutely surprised if he is not on the radar of NBA and European teams,” he said.

“He has been solid as a rock and Goulding has also been fantastic.

“My feeling is that every Australian player will be available for the Olympics and there will be some tough decisions to make.

“Some of the guys have really proven that they deserve to be in this team.”

Lemanis conceded it won’t be an easy task to select the final 12-man roster for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

He knows he may have to leave out some loyal local players in favour of proven NBA talent but at this stage he says the race for final positions is wide open.

Thon Maker and Ben Simmons have proven their worth in the NBA and would be big inclusions for the Boomers in Tokyo.

“That’s one of the true strengths of the national team now, or the national basketball landscape at the moment, is their depth, the talent that we have; which means there’s hard decisions to be made,” Lemanis said.

“Again, really thankful for this group that’s put up their hand and committed to it and led the green and gold every night on the floor. That counts a lot in terms of selections moving forward.”

Simmons is yet to officially commit to Tokyo while fellow Philadelphia 76er Jonah Bolden isn’t a certainty to play after walking out on the team during the World Cup warm-up matches because he was unhappy with his game minutes.

Bolden was behind the likes of rising big man Jock Landale, so he opted to leave to focus on his NBA pre-season.

(L-R) Head coach of the Boomers Andrej Lemanis must find a way to bring a disillusioned Jonah Bolden back into the national team ahead of the Olympics. Picture: AAP Image/Richard Wainwright

This decision after just two exhibition games, including one that he starred in, didn’t impress the senior Boomers players who are trying to build a team-first culture.

Moving forward, Bolden will have to decide if he wants to return to the Australian set-up and if the playing group will welcome him back.

Lemanis said he will continue discussions with all Australia’s NBA players, including Bolden.

“You just keep the conversations going; the doors open,” he said.

“When it’s time for selection camp, everyone who’s prepared to put their hand up, puts their hand up, and you’ve got those decisions from those who are available.

“It’s all about continued conversations and relationships.”

Lemanis is bitterly disappointed that the Boomers exited a promising World Cup campaign with back-to-back fade-outs against Spain and France.

Asked if his side are mentally plagued by the pressure of winning a first medal, he replied: “We’ll find out in time, right?

“That’s what everybody will talk about.

“You play the game as it unfolds in front of you, and you give the effort that you give, and you can never question the effort.

“I think there’s some belief in the group that we’re good enough to go and go get a medal.”

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