‘Big decisions are ahead’: The huge calls facing the Boomers ahead of Paris 2024

Upon reflection, any hope of an Australian Boomers medal at the FIBA World Cup was lost the moment centre Jock Landale twisted his ankle in a lead-up game against South Sudan.

The team’s medal chances officially ended on Friday night following a 91-80 loss to Slovenia in their first crossover game – they will end their campaign against Georgia on Sunday night and finish between ninth and 16th depending on their final record.

Josh Giddey.Credit: Getty Images

Many in Australian basketball would like to think the Boomers have moved on from being completely dependent on the health of a big man, but Aron Baynes was deemed too old, rising 221-centimetre teenager Rocco Zikarshy too young, and the promising Harry Wessels too raw, so coach Brian Goorjian went with a smaller side.

If Landale had played, there is every chance the Boomers could have beaten Germany and Slovenia. But he isn’t a silver bullet for Paris, either.

But as the Boomers begin the post-mortem after missing out on the medal rounds of a major tournament for the first time since 2014, questions need to be asked...

Where do the Boomers actually sit in world basketball right now?

Team USA is still well ahead of the pack when fielding their best team, which is expected for Paris.

The knockout rounds will reveal a lot but Goorjian believes both Germany and Slovenia, who both beat Australia, are legitimate chances to reach the gold medal game.

Spain and Serbia are missing star players but both still look capable, while Canada, led by NBA superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, looked like favourites until Brazil knocked them off on Friday night.

Boomers great Chris Anstey said recently on his podcast that Australia is so far away that we marvel at how much the team has improved, without seeing how much better the rest of the world has become.

He was right. There is a bulging tier of teams below the USA at any given tournament.

Australia is among them, but are just as vulnerable as anyone else.

How did Australia’s offence become such a mess?

Under Andrej Lemanis, the Boomers’ offence was as good as any in the world. Andrew Bogut’s passing was a big part of that, as was the hard-earned connection between Patty Mills, Joe Ingles, Matthew Dellavedova, Baynes and Bogut who spent almost a decade winning and losing together. But they are almost all gone now.

This time, the offence was unrecognisable and too often left Josh Giddey or Mills going one one-on-five and throwing up shots. That isn’t how the Boomers play, and Bogut was quick to point this out on Twitter.

Dellavedova was cut from this team but his leadership was badly missed in the tough games. If his form warrants it, he should get a look in for Paris.

Mills and Ingles were both below their best, but their success also relies on the team playing fluidly.

Patty Mills drives against Germany.Credit: Getty Images

Mills still averaged 18.5 points per game and was a difference maker, but his three-point shooting was inconsistent and he was forced to work far too hard for his shots.

Ingles was great in some games but ineffective in others. He is still within a year of coming back from a knee reconstruction so he shouldn’t be ruled out for Paris.

Giddey was stellar in his first international tournament, averaging 20 points per game and threatening to have a triple-double anytime he hit the floor.

But his inexperience showed with untimely turnovers and the team’s offensive system didn’t get the best from either him or Mills.

“Offensively, for us, when we play it with pace, when we move the ball and dribble it less, we are a really good team,” Goorjian said after the Slovenia game.

“Tonight, again, we got the pace going, we got the possessions going, but there was too much bounce [dribbling].

“So you know when you get in a game like this and there’s a lot of pressure, who you are comes out and we’re a step off right now.”

The Boomers desperately need reliable three-point shooting. Some of that will come from Josh Green, Dante Exum and Giddey as they have made big improvements. Chris Goulding is the best shooter on the team but barely played.

Slovenia could be a good guide for the “Giddey era” Boomers. NBA superstar Luka Doncic is the centrepiece but their big men attack the basket relentlessly and they surround Doncic with shooters. When he sits, they still find ways to get each other open.

Will Goorjian go on?

Goorjian was contracted from the Tokyo Olympics to the end of this World Cup, so once Sunday night’s game is over, he and Basketball Australia will have a decision to make.

He deserves the chance to keep going until Paris, then hand the baton to the next coach, but this campaign needs stern reviewing first.

“Some big decisions are ahead, but I like what is in front of me,” Goorjian said.

Goorjian told ESPN he sees his assistant coaches Matthew Nielsen and Adam Caporn as potential successors. Both are coaching in the NBA system but neither has been a full-time head coach in a major tournament, and that matters. Trevor Gleeson and Dean Vickerman deserve major consideration as well.

Is Simmons serious about playing in Paris?

Until Ben Simmons walks through the door at Boomers selection camp, any thought of how he could help the team he hasn’t played for since 2014 is just vapour.

He did say last week that he wants to play in Paris.

If he plays, he improves the Boomers, at least on paper. But he has to be fair dinkum.

Who should the Boomers look at for Paris 2024?

Roles need to be better defined for the Olympics and players picked to fill them.

Mills and Ingles will likely need to play more supporting roles and the likes of Giddey, Josh Green, Landale and Dyson Daniels all need to step up and define how they can best serve the national team.

More shooting needs to be found and more big men developed, especially those who can feed off Giddey’s passing.

Forward Xavier Cooks was a valuable addition, while centre Duop Reath shows promise. Exum is entering his prime but Matisse Thybulle appeared a bit lost, although a bounce-back NBA season in Portland could be the tonic for him to shine next time.

Xavier Cooks.Credit: Getty Images

Giddey’s comments after the Slovenia loss summed up the tournament for the Boomers.

“We were playing from behind all night – trying to dig ourselves out of a hole that felt like it kept getting deeper and deeper,” a downcast Giddey said.

“Every time we made a run, it was hard to sustain. [There is] a lot of emotion that this is the end of our tournament and we can’t progress any further, but it’s disappointing.”

‘We’re a step off right now’: Slovenia knocks Boomers out of FIBA World Cup medal hopes

Roy Ward

Australian Boomers coach Brian Goorjian concedes his side has fallen away from the medal-contending teams after they were effectively knocked out of the FIBA World Cup in Japan on Friday night.

The Boomers hopes of a medal were ended by a 91-80 loss to Slovenia in the first crossover game.

Patty Mills drives to the basket against Luka Doncic of Slovenia.Credit: Getty Images

Slovenia and Germany, who play each other on Sunday, are both on 4-0 and sure to move through to the quarterfinals as Australia are on 2-2 and record their worst result at a major tournament since 2014.

Australia can finish no higher than ninth place but they have already earned Oceania’s place at Paris 2024 by finishing ahead of New Zealand.

Goorjian said losses to Germany and now Slovenia showed his side was currently a “step off” the teams contending for medals and the reaction from his side under pressure in this game showed more work needed to be done.

“Offensively, for us, when we play it with pace, when we move the ball and dribble it less we are a really good team,” Goorjian said.

Giddey drives to the basket against Zoran Dragic.Credit: Getty Images

“Tonight, again, we got the pace going, we got the possessions going, but there was too much bounce [dribbling].

“So you know when you get in a game like this and there’s a lot of pressure, who you are comes out and we’re a step off right now.”

Limiting Slovenian NBA superstar Luka Doncic was billed as being the difference between winning and losing but Doncic only had a modest night.

Instead, his teammates proved they were the more disciplined and better organised team leading from the opening seconds and never trailing.

The Boomers looked dejected after their loss to Slovenia at Okinawa Arena.Credit: Getty Images

Doncic was good with 20 points, seven rebounds and six assists but was forced to the bench with foul trouble in the second quarter. It mattered not as centre Mike Tobey was irrepressible with 18 points and 12 rebounds and several other Slovenians stood up to make big shots when they needed to.

“I trust my teammates, they double-teamed me every possession and everybody made the right play,” Doncic said.

“We stayed together. We are a great team I think.”

What Slovenia did best was find the weaknesses in Australia’s game and exploit them mercilessly as they guarded the basket and forced the team into taking too many dribbles and rushed shots from outside.

They also fouled regularly and denied the Boomers the chance to play fast and attack in transition as shown by Xavier Cooks going from 24 points last game to just two points and one rebound in this one.

That left too much for Josh Giddey (25 points) and Patty Mills (17 points) to do while Australia’s outside shooting was again off the mark making just eight of 24 attempts.

Giddey found his groove in the third term and led a run that saw the Boomers move within two points of Slovenia early in the last quarter, but Slovenia snapped back to the task at hand and went on a 15-2 run to make sure of the win.

“With the size and athleticism they have and the way we dominated the game, our guys deserve credit,” Slovenia coach Aleksander Sekulic said.

“Australia, they sometimes look scary but big credit to our players. Josh Giddey was almost unstoppable, but our guys were great today. Great teamwork.”

The Boomers still have another crossover game to play against Georgia on Sunday night.

Mills and his team will be heartbroken, but the experience will serve them well for Paris with Giddey, Josh Green, Dyson Daniels, Xavier Cooks, Duop Reath and Jack White all either in their first tournament or their first tournament playing major minutes.

The loss of NBA centre Jock Landale to an ankle injury has hurt them badly, he alone would have made a big impact on Tobey’s influence on this game while Ben Simmons has said he wants to play in Paris, if healthy and available.

Goorjian has already declared the road to Paris has begun and more change could come as the Boomers keep bringing in their next generation of players.

“I really like Daniels, that’s another piece to add to this and we have Jock Landale to add to this,” Goorjian said.

“Some big decisions are ahead, but I like what is in front of me.”

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