Ben Simmons, Andrew Bogut: Australian NBA players in 2018

Australia has become a breeding ground for the next generation of NBA stars, with a record contingent of Aussies forcing their way into the lucrative sport.

There’s no doubt Australian men’s basketball is enjoying a golden age with a record nine players contracted to NBA teams, and they’re here to show the world how far Australian basketball has advanced since Luc Longley become the first Australian to win an NBA title with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the late 1990s.

Now, over the course of an 82-game regular season, most guys are playing crucial roles on their respective sides, and as in the case of Philadelphia’s Ben Simmons, some will even become the face of their franchise for the next decade.

Ben Simmons

With all due respect to LeBron James, Ben Simmons is Australia's 'Chosen One.' The number one overall pick in the 2015 draft missed all of last season after foot surgery but Simmons is making up for lost time so far this season by notching some eye-popping numbers. Simmons recently joined Michael Jordan, David Robinson, Tim Hardaway, Kevin Johnson, and Lamar Odom for the third-most triple-doubles in a rookie season (3)... just 24 games in, and the scary thing is he's only just getting started. Simmons is Australia's first legitimate basketball superstar, and will be the face of the sport back home for the next decade.

Andrew Bogut

Injuries robbed Andrew Bogut of the prime of his career in the NBA, but Australia’s first ever top overall draft pick managed to play a crucial role for the Golden State Warriors championship-winning team of 2015. Currently with the Los Angeles Lakers, Bogut is averaging the fewest minutes of his career in a limited role. Bogut will be a free agent at season’s end, but his experience, defensive nous and selflessness, could prove valuable to a contending team next season if he decides to move on elsewhere.

Patty Mills

Mills has been Australia’s most consistent performer in the NBA over the last five seasons. Playing for (arguably) the greatest coach of all-time Gregg Popovich at the league’s most stable organisation, naturally helps. Mills appears to have found a home in the NBA, re-signing with the Spurs to a four-year, $50 million deal. Mills reportedly took less money than he could have by signing elsewhere, which speaks to his comfort level playing in San Antonio. He won a championship in San Antonio alongside Aron Baynes in 2014.

Aron Baynes

If ever there was an Australian that embodied what Boston basketball is about, it’s Aron Baynes. Tough, physical, blue-collar with championship experience - Baynes does all the things that Celtics fans appreciate and has become a fan-favourite there in a short amount of time. Baynes bet on himself by only signing a one-year, $4.3 million deal with Boston, but his play so far for the Eastern Conference-leading Celtics will ensure the burly man will get a significant pay rise next season wherever he chooses to sign.

Dante Exum

Exum, son of former NBL player Cecil, entered the NBA in 2014 as the draft’s mystery man, and now in 2017 he still remains somewhat of a mystery. Considered one of the best prospects coming into the draft, he will miss all of the 2017-18 season as he recovers from shoulder surgery. He previously missed the entire 2015-16 season with a torn ACL suffered while playing for the Australian national team. Exum showed glimpses of his potential at Summer League this year. He will become a restricted free-agent at season’s end and, to his advantage, he’s still young at just 22 and will likely find his spot in the NBA.

Joe Ingles

Ingles may be the most underrated Australian in the NBA. Playing in a smaller market in Utah means the wider basketball audience does not get to enjoy his skills regularly. As the Jazz have had to endure many injuries to key players, Ingles has stepped up and become what Utah coach Quin Snyder calls a “glue guy”. Ingles can do a little bit of everything for the Jazz and often this season has had to do more than that just to help keep the team afloat. Ingles’ game has continued to grow each season since coming over from Europe in 2014, so the Jazz rewarded him with a four-year, $52 million deal in July.

Matthew Dellavedova

After having gone undrafted in 2013, Matthew Dellavedova has really forged a trail in establishing himself in the NBA, and has earned the praise and respect of teammates such as LeBron James in Cleveland, and now Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee. Delly’s numbers aren’t jaw-dropping, but it’s his tenacity and commitment to putting his body on the line every night that has seen him earn minutes in the league. One of just five Australians to have played in, and won, an NBA finals series, Delly will have to continue to prove to Bucks’ coach Jason Kidd he deserves minutes on the floor when he returns from injury.

Thon Maker

Maker, the Sudanese-born Milwaukee centre is the definition of a modern NBA big man - long, athletic and capable of playing a number of positions on the court. The Bucks took a chance on selecting the raw but talented Maker with the 10th overall pick in 2016, and so far Maker is repaying that faith by being one of the hardest workers on the team. The easiest comparison to make for Maker is to all-time NBA great Kevin Garnett. The former Minnesota and Boston All-Star has been working with Maker this season and has predicted that Maker will one day win an NBA MVP award.

Mangok Mathiang

Like Matthew Dellavedova before him, Mangok Mathiang went undrafted in 2017 but managed to show enough during Summer League appearances with the Charlotte Hornets to earn a two-way contract with the NBA franchise. Under the terms of a two-way deal, Mathiang will split time with the Hornets and their development league affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm. Charlotte have high hopes for Mathiang and believe he can be a valuable contributor once he develops.