The Australian Men’s Basketball team will kick off the first basketball game of the 2016 Rio Olympics on Saturday against France. Also known as the “Boomers“, Australia will be looking for their first Olympic medal in the nation’s history after just falling short on three other occasions. Playing in Group A, the Boomers will also face China, Venezuela, Serbia and previous gold medalists in the form of the United States. Despite facing the task of overcoming arguably the most difficult pool, Australia should fancy their chances getting a medal, boasting one of best squads in the tournament. Here we will take a look at their roster and their overall chance of taking home the gold medal.
2016 Olympic Men’s Basketball Preview: Australia
The NBA-Stacked Roster
The boomers line up with five NBA players, which is tied for the second most in the 2016 Olympics, and should provide much needed experience and confidence. Of the 5 NBA players, four have won championships with the San Antonio Spurs, Golden State Warriors, and most recently the Cleveland Cavaliers. First up is Patty Mills, who plays for the San Antonio Spurs, winning a championship with them in 2014. Over the course of the 2015-16 NBA season, Mills averaged 8.5 points and 2.8 assists, shooting 38.4% from three-point range. Mills plays a critical role off the bench under Gregg Popovich, who is admired for his work-rate and consistency. In the 2012 London Olympics, Patty Mills led all scorers with 21 points per game – Kevin Durant was a close second. At 27, Mills is entering his prime and will be an important leader for Australia.
Championship Experience
Next is Andrew Bogut, who has been recently traded to the Dallas Mavericks one season after winning the 2015 NBA title with the Warriors. Bogut was taken as the overall number one draft pick in 2005 by the Milwaukee Bucks. During his best season with the franchise, Bogut averaged 15.9 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game. At 31, Bogut’s career has slowed down after a number of injuries but still boasts a career average of 10.3 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. His presence in the post will be important for Australia, especially coming up against DeAndre Jordan and DeMarcus Cousins from team USA.
Point to Prove
Matthew Dellavedova will have a point to prove after being traded to the Bucks just months after winning the championship with Cleveland in 2016. During his last season with the Cavaliers, Delly averaged 7.5 points and 4.4 assists per game. Over the 2014-15 season, Dellavedova had the fourth best assist/turnover ration in the league, with 3.34 assists for every 1 turnover. At 25-years, Dellevadova is a scrappy, highly competitive combo-guard who is best known for his defensive performances during the 2015 playoffs. Being a former teammate of Kyrie Irving means that he will know exactly what to expect from arguably the best point-guard at Rio. Stopping him will be a different task altogether. Australia will also depend on his tidy playmaking skills and three-point shooting to execute their offence.
Aaron Baynes usually plays in a leadership role for the Boomers as either a Power Forward or Center. Having won with the Spurs alongside Mills in 2014, Baynes played the previous season with the Detroit Pistons. He played well in his four most recent playoff appearances with the Pistons, averaging 10 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists. For a 6-10, 260-pound guy, Baynes has a good shot from the elbow whilst still providing a good physical presence in the paint. As the skipper, Baynes will provide experience and physicality in the paint alongside Bogut.
Other Notables
Some other notable players to look for are Joe Ingles from the Utah Jazz, young Ryan Broekhoff from Euroleague club Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar and Chris Goulding of the Australian NBL side Melbourne United. Joe Ingles is 27 years old and has played well entering into the tournament, recently scoring 16 points against third-ranked Lithuania. Broekhoff will provide valuable a valuable three-point option after coming off a great season in Europe where he averaged 47.2% three-point shooting from 123 season attempts. Goulding is also another great option for scoring, averaging 15.4 points per game in his most recent season with Melbourne.
Going for Gold (or at least a medal)
After missing out in other Olympic tournaments, Australia will be looking for their maiden medal in the upcoming Rio Olympics. Previously, the Boomers have faced the Soviet Union and twice come up against Lithuania for the Bronze medal, falling short on all three occasions. While most people are rightly tipping the Americans to win their third consecutive gold medal, the 2016 Olympics promises to be extremely competitive. Australia will play as part of group A, with China being the only team not expected to advance past the preliminary stage. Other than China, Venezuela is the only other team that Australia tops according to FIBA’s World Rankings. Serbia is a young, energetic team who showed immense potential after sweeping their competition in their FIBA Qualifying Tournament. France boasts a deep and talented roster with a number of top NBA level players.
Fundamental Basketball
Australia will have to rely on the experience of their squad. Unlike previous USA teams, the Boomers will look regularly to their outside shooting and play solid, fundamental basketball. This years USA team, however, possesses three-point snipers including Klay Thompson, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. Not known for their flashy style of play, the Australian squad value hustle and consistency more than anything else. After warm-up losses to Brazil and Lithuania, it is unlikely that Australia will compete for the gold this year. However, Australia might have a chance of at least securing a bronze medal for their country.
Assuming losses to France and the USA, and assuming they can beat both China and Venezuela, Australia can hopefully beat Serbia to qualify for third place. If they qualify third they will have to face off against the second-place team of Group B, which could be any of Spain, Lithuania or Argentina. None of these match-ups would prove easy for Australia, but with their best squad assembled in recent memory, they still have a strong chance of at least securing bronze. And that’s without Dante Exum or Ben Simmons.
Main Photo:
Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (L) steals the ball from Golden State Warriors center Andrew Bogut (R) during Game 3 of the NBA Finals in Cleveland, Ohio on June 8, 2016. The Cavaliers won Game 3.
LeBron James scored 32 points and Kyrie Irving added 30, powering Cleveland over defending champion Golden State 120-90 to lift the Cavaliers back into contention in the NBA Finals. Despite the blowout loss, the Warriors remain ahead 2-1 in the best-of-seven series. / AFP / Jay LaPrete (Photo credit should read JAY LAPRETE/AFP/Getty Images)
