‘They will come across and join us’: Boomers coach Brian Goorjian on Ben Simmons and Joe Ingles playing in Tokyo

Boomers coach Brian Goorjian is preparing to have NBA stars Ben Simmons and Joe Ingles in his side for Tokyo as it attempts to win a maiden medal.

Australian NBA stars Ben Simmons and Joe Ingles will have the option to be vaccinated in the US and are expected to join the Boomers in Tokyo no matter how deep their NBA teams go in the playoffs.

In a big win for the Boomers, coach Brian Goorjian anticipates Simmons, 76ers Sydney-raised teammate Matisse Thybulle and Ingles to play at the Olympics regardless of a potential clash with the NBA season.

If the 2020-2021 campaign goes to a Game 7 in the NBA Finals, the season will finish a day before the Tokyo Games opening ceremony July 23.

Both Simmons and Ingles’ teams – Philadelphia and Utah – are first in their respective East and West conferences with the playoffs to begin on May 18.

This tight schedule will give the NBA’s cast of international players little to no preparation time for the Tokyo Olympics.

Joe Ingles is set to join the Boomers in Tokyo. Picture: Alex Goodlett/Getty Images

However, Goorjian is preparing to have Simmons, Thybulle and Ingles in his Boomers side as it attempts to win a maiden men’s medal.

“I want Joe or Ben to win an NBA championship, so if that means them getting into camp on the cusp of the Olympics, so be it,” Goorjian said.

“It is what it is.

“Philly and Utah are two great teams and they’ve got a chance to go a long way to the NBA Finals, which would mean no preparation time for the Games.

“But their hands are up for the Boomers, and when it (the NBA season) finishes, they will come across and join us, and it will be what it will be.

“The way I see it is that those guys (Simmons and Ingles) are going to be in this team, no matter if they win the thing or get knocked out.

“It is a unique situation, but I’m planning and organising the team with those two in it.”

Preparing for the Tokyo Olympics amid a global pandemic and an NBA season has made life difficult for Goorjian as Boomers coach.

For all the challenges, he is embracing the uncertainty following an unpredictable NBL season with the Illawarra Hawks.

“Being in the NBL this season has actually prepared me for it, in that I’ve had to be prepared for the unexpected with COVID and a delayed season,” he said.

“There is going to be limited preparation and guys are going to be rolling in at different times, but it is just part of the challenge.

“But as far as the NBA season goes and how far Philadelphia and Utah goes, that is out of our control.”

Ben Simmons will be a big boost to the Boomers in Tokyo. Picture: Mitchell Leff/Getty Images.

Australian Olympic Committee chief executive Matt Carroll told the NCA NewsWire that Simmons and Ingles would have the option to be vaccinated in the US.

“The NBA is already doing all their testing, and as I understand from a comment made by the US Olympic Committee president, athletes such as those two will be vaccinated in America,” Carroll said.

Meanwhile, Goorjian confirmed the Boomers pre-Olympic camp and warm-up games against the likes of Team USA and Argentina in Las Vegas remained on track as well as a preliminary camp in Los Angeles.

“Basketball Australia has worked tirelessly, and everything is in place and in motion,” he said.

“The training camp in Vegas, games leading up to it and a prelim in LA for guys that want to get a little touch to get around the coaches again in the lead-up to the Olympics.

“It is a three-and-a-half-year preparation, but Matt Nielsen (assistant) and myself are new to this.

“So, the little time in LA has been driven by the leadership group as well to give us the best chance of being successful.”