🔗 Share this article

This year's NBA campaign begins this week, signaling the initial occasion in a decade that Aussie pair of most prominent basketball names – Ben Simmons and Patty Mills – are teamless.

This change indicates a transition period, as Boomers’ guard pair Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels step up as key starters for contending teams, with new nine-figure contracts establishing them as some of the country's top athletic earners.

They aren't the only ones. A group of 14 Aussies are expected to play for minutes around the league, including veteran centres Jock Landale and Duop Reath, up-and-coming forwards in Johnny Furphy and Josh Green, to intriguing rookies like Tyrese Proctor and Rocco Zikarsky.

Josh Giddey Out to Prove Himself

Following protracted negotiations with the Bulls, Giddey ultimately inked his rookie extension worth US$100 million (A$153 million) over four years last month. It's a major deal for the Melburnian, but in league standards it is cheap for Giddey’s position and reputation as a primary ball-handler. The reluctance for Chicago’s front office to offer a max deal means the young star enters this year with a point to make.

Having been traded by Oklahoma City at the beginning of last campaign, he watched as his former squad charged to the title in his absence. As the Bulls aim to reach the postseason in the less competitive Eastern Conference, he will need to demonstrate his shooting and defensive skills are starter-worthy or else he may slide towards the league's outskirts.

Dyson Daniels Targets Further Growth

The guard agreed to the identical contract as Giddey recently, and after his most-improved player award last season, the Hawks player's trajectory has taken off in Atlanta following his departure from the Pelicans. He is now lauded as one of the league’s best perimeter defenders, and led the league in steals with three per game – more than one full takeaway per match greater than the tally of the runner-up.

Playing next to dynamic Trae Young in the Hawks, the 22-year-old can be successful this campaign as a secondary ballhandler and defensive stopper as long as the Hawks make the playoffs. But if he can improve his three-point shooting, which was below league average last season, and keep develop his distribution and driving, Daniels could become one of the association's most well-rounded talents.

Johnny Furphy A Dunking Sensation

Indiana forward Furphy has emerged as a fan favourite in Indiana following a series of spectacular slam dunks in exhibition games. His athletic displays prompted NBA personality Pat Beverley to describe him as the “top Caucasian leaper we’ve seen in a while”, and an opportunity to the All-Star slam dunk competition could be on the table.

After logging just 8 mpg per game over 50 appearances in his debut season, the former Maribyrnong College student is in the running for a Indiana lineup that might lean towards youth following injury to lead guard Tyrese Haliburton.

Tyrese Proctor An Outside Shot

Playmaker the Sydney native dropped in the NBA Draft down to the 49th pick, where playoff hopefuls Cleveland selected him. The Cavaliers are favourites to make the NBA finals from the Eastern Conference, so it would be rare for a first-year player drafted in the late picks to see significant court time. But the Sydney product has seen minutes in pre-season, and his NBA-ready shot gives him a opportunity to contribute.

Playing Time Squeeze Ahead for Experienced Group

Seasoned big man Jock Landale has a chance to claim the starting centre position in the Grizzlies given highly-touted Zach Edey will be out for the opening of the campaign after a surgical procedure.

In Portland, Duop Reath is the experienced reserve to youthful big men Donovan Clingan and Yang Hansen, but could see regular action if the team find themselves in the hunt. His teammate Matisse Thybulle is likely to be deployed as a defensive specialist in a reserve role.

In the Hornets, Josh Green's off-season shoulder procedure has resulted in him with no return date to return. The player still has a contract for the upcoming year, but will not want to give his colleagues at the developing Hornets an excessive head start. And a physical issue has already slowed Dante Exum, who has a knee complaint and has been absent for key exhibition chances in the Mavericks.

Australian NBA Players Fighting for Roles

Then there are those who are unlikely to see a lot of, if any, court time this year. Thirty-eight-year-old Joe Ingles is back in Minnesota, but appears to be little more than a mentor keeping Anthony Edwards in check.

Rookie Rocco Zikarsky is likely to be nurtured by the Wolves through their G-League team. Fellow rookies Lachlan Olbrich in the Bulls and Alex Toohey for the Golden State Warriors are also in the development pipeline, while the more seasoned Luke Travers will be aiming to earn playing time with his compatriot for the Cavaliers.

Ben Simmons and Patty Mills Seeking Contracts

Should anyone question Mills was planning to end his career, he addressed it with a training clip shared on his accounts recently, showing the 37-year-old is still in form and focused on landing one more league deal.

What Simmons is thinking is anyone’s guess after an off-season in his homeland, angling and playing with a football. Although he took to social media last month to deny suggestions he was retired, the 29-year-old – an elite player as recently as 2021 – has yet to surface.