Boomers Cup campaign ends on high but what happens now?
The Australian Boomers have finished an underwhelming World Cup campaign on a positive note with a 100-84 win over Georgia – now all eyes are locked on the path to next year’s Paris Olympics.
Sunday’s final Cup clash didn’t count for anything, but it served as a vital opportunity to experiment and hone with a view to the future.
Veteran Patty Mills provided a timely reminder that he’ll be very much part of the plans for the Paris Games with a classy display.
Mills had 16 points at the break before finishing with a team-high 19 points, including 3-8 from range.
The Australian captain had five turnovers in the first-half, but this was also a by-product of the Boomers’ attempts to move the ball.
Big man Duop Reath produced his best performance of the World Cup campaign.
Reath looked dominant in the paint to drop 16 points, including 3-3 from range.
Boomers conductor and future face Josh Giddey was again solid, finishing with 15 points and four assists.
Guard Dante Exum also proved his worth as a lock for the Paris Olympics, dropping 18 points, including 3-5 from three.
Exum was excellent and he’ll only get better after penning a two-year $6.2 million NBA deal with the Dallas Mavericks.
Emerging guard Dyson Daniels, who had only played 10 minutes at the Cup, checked in with a tick over three minutes to go.
The Boomers stuck loyal to open the game, starting with the same first five in Giddey, Mills, Green, Kay and Reath.
It was a clear show of faith, as opposed to throwing the pre-tournament plan completely out the window.
Giddey opened the game with two quick buckets, including a textbook step back.
He took control of proceedings for the Boomers to drop six points and help the Australians take a 23-17 lead into quarter-time.
Bench forward Jack White entered the game three minutes into the second quarter.
White, who had averaged just 6.8 minutes at the Cup, finished the game with two points in his 11-minute stint.
The Boomers surged in the second quarter on the back of Mills to go to the main break with a 54-37 advantage.
Australia’s dominance came on the back of 63 per cent shooting from three.
The Boomers dropped their guard in the third quarter, with sloppy turnovers and a poor attention to detail allowing Georgia back into the game.
The Europeans got within 11 points in the third quarter before the Australians rallied to cruise to a comfortable victory.
INGLES RESPONDS
Boomers veteran Joe Ingles has had a frustrating World Cup campaign.
The staple of the Australian program and Rose Gold hero has averaged just 5.8 points and 26.7 from three.
On Sunday against Georgia, Ingles pushed aside more frustration with the officials to somewhat rediscover his shooting mojo.
The Orlando Magic signing had six first-half points, including two of four from range.
Ingles finished with 10 points on 3-7 from range.
The NBA swingman could have been better at the World Cup, but former Boomer Mark Worthington says there are factors at play.
Worthington believes Landale’s injury on the eve of the Cup has impacted Ingles’ performance.
“The injury to Jock meant we went small ball and it meant Joe had to play more of a four-man power forward role, setting screens and he was in unfamiliar spaces on the floor,” Worthington said about Ingles, who remains right in the mix for next year’s Paris Olympics.
“So, his level of comfort that he had on the court wasn’t quite there.
“I would have assumed that Joe could have been part of that second unit where the ball was going to go through him to be able to facilitate more and free up other people.
“So, I don’t blame Joe for probably having a lack of confidence but I blame the situation.”
GOORJIAN SET FOR PARIS BUT A FREE AGENT
Coach Brian Goorjian’s contract with the Boomers ends after this World Cup campaign, but he is expected to stay on until the Paris Olympics to finish his four-year cycle in charge.
Goorjian, though, faces an uncertain future on the domestic front after the East Asia League disbanded the Bay Area Dragons – the Hong Kong based team that he had been coaching.
The master mentor was informed of the decision before Australia’s important game against Slovenia in the FIBA Basketball World Cup at the Okinawa Arena. It remains to be seen whether Goorjian secures a new deal coaching overseas or he considers returning to the NBL in some capacity, where he has won a record six championships.
Potential Boomers team for Paris Olympics:
LOCKS: Josh Giddey, Patty Mills, Ben Simmons, Josh Green, Dyson Daniels, Dante Exum, Xavier Cooks, Jock Landale
NOT LOCKS: Joe Ingles, Duop Reath, Nick Kay, Chris Goulding, Jack White
BOLTERS: Dejan Vasiljevic, Tyrese Proctor, Alex Toohey, William McDowell-White, Rocco Zikarsky, Johnny Furphy, Harry Wessels, Ben Henshall
RECAP ALL THE KEY MOMENTS AS THEY HAPPENED IN THE WIN
Q4, 5.55: AUS 91-71 GEO
Dante Exum is up to 18 and Patty Mills has 19 for the Boomers and they’re about to close out their disappointing World Cup campaign with a positive — it’s been good to watch, but also a bit of too little, too late. Would have liked to have seen some Dyson Daniels, but it’s not looking good. The Boomers have 25 assists on 32 made field goals. It’s been a night of sharing. Chris Goulding
3QT: AUS 79-67 GEO
Georgia wins the quarter but Dante Exum continues to enhance his international chops. He’s scoring and dishing to his teammates. The control of pace from Exum has been most-impressive — he’s never out of control and adept at using his athleticism to get in the lane — 15 points and four dimes for the new Dallas Maverick.
Five Aussies are in double digits now with Joe Ingles hitting his third three-pointer of the game
Q3, 4.54: AUS 65-48 GEO
The Boomers have maintained the lead of around 17 throughout the third with an 11-11 stalemate. Georgia isn’t laying down but the Aussies have kept them at bay through Duop Reath (13), Dante Exum (12) and Josh Giddey (11). Mills had 16 at halftime.
HT: AUS 54-37 GEO
Patty’s on fire — again.
He had nine straight in the second and up to 16 points.
Where has this three-point shooting been in the tournament? The Boomers’ best effort was nine makes for the game in the loss to Germany.
They already have 10 and are shooting a white-hot 63 per cent from deep.
The Boomers have had 11 turnovers for the half, but Georgia hasn’t made them pay.
Mills has five of those turnovers to go with four assists in an interesting night for the 35-year-old Boomers’ legend.
Dante Exum has been great with eight points and three assists, while Duop Reath also has eight.
Q2, 3.06: AUS 48-31 GEO
Patty’s heating up. He’s in double digits now with 13 — nine-straight in the second — and they’ve opened up a 17-point lead. Game-winning stuff.
Q2, 6.09: AUS 36-23 GEO
Dante Exum has had an impressive tournament and he’s heating up with eight points for the Boomers. Duop Reath has a pair of threes and the Boomers are a scorching 6-10 from deep for basically the first time this entire campaign.
Jack White has checked in early after hardly featuring in the last couple of games and former Perth Wildcats coach Trevor Gleeson is with me in wanting to see some of the Boomers who haven’t had huge opportunities at the tournament.
“I’d like to see a bit of Chris Goulding out there and Dyson Daniels early in this game,” Gleeson said on ESPN.
QT: AUS 23-17 GEO
You can tell this is a dead rubber. There’s a distinct lack of urgency, both teams are fumbling and turning it over six times each. Sloppy stuff. Patty Mills has four of those six turnovers while Josh Giddey leads the Boomers scorers with six, Georgia’s Giorgi Shermadini with eight. No sign of Dyson Daniels yet — with an Olympic-berth already sealed, here’s hoping the Boomers’ senior players and coaching staff push to give him some exposure in a game that doesn’t mean all that much, apart from some ranking.
Q1, 4.27: AUS 15-12 GEO
Giddey scored the first bucket on the game — overpowering the Georgian guards and finishing at the hoop, as he has done regularly in the tournament. Then he showed a little flair in the post with a nice turnaround step back for the Boomers first four. The tournament’s over, but the Boomers are finally hitting the three — Duop Reath, Nick Kay and Josh Green all connecting from deep. We’re on Dyson Daniels watch — really hoping the veterans push for him to play heavy minutes. No Tornike Shengelia for Georgia — the former NBA big man is their leading scorer at the Cup but has suffered an injury.
5.20PM: BOOMERS STARTERS
Giddey
Mills
Green
Kay
Reath
Hopes of a look at maybe Dyson Daniels in the starting line-up don’t come to fruition.
BOOM-TIME FOR PARIS
Australia’s World Cup medal hopes are over but this is day one on the new path to the Paris Olympics, which presents the Boomers with a chance to start blooding the next generation now.
Sunday’s final World Cup clash against Georgia won’t count for anything, but it serves as a vital opportunity to experiment with the line-up.
One train of thought that has been floated is to give emerging guard Dyson Daniels more game time to see how he fits into the squad.
Daniels has only played seven minutes at the Cup, but he could be given more time to prove himself against Georgia.
The Boomers could also opt to lean in on experienced guard Chris Goulding – who has only played six minutes at the Cup.
Goulding is a proven perimeter threat – a quality the Australians have lacked at this year’s World Cup.
The Boomers have also been undersized – a problem largely sparked after losing big man Jock Landale to an ankle injury in the warm-up games.
Veteran Joe Ingles, who has averaged just 5.8 points and 26.7 from three, hasn’t been at his best in this Cup campaign.
Ingles has turned down multiple open looks throughout the tournament, but former Boomer Mark Worthington says there are factors at play.
Worthington believes Landale’s injury on the eve of the World Cup has impacted the NBA swingman.
“I say that because when Joe has been at Utah and Milwaukee last year, he is part of that second team unit where he gets people into pick and rolls, he is playing off the pick and rolls and he is crafty,” said Worthington on the Hasbeen Hoops podcast with fellow Boomers legend Chris Anstey.
“The way that Joe finds his way into the game is with the ball through his hands. He is a very unselfish player but he makes great decisions.
“The injury to Jock meant we went small ball and it meant Joe had to play more of a four-man power forward role, setting screens and he was in unfamiliar spaces on the floor.
“So, his level of comfort that he had on the court wasn’t quite there.
“I would have assumed that Joe could have been part of that second unit where the ball was going to go through him to be able to facilitate more and free up other people.
“So, I don’t blame Joe for probably having a lack of confidence but I blame the situation.”
The Boomers take on Georgia in their final World Cup game from 5.30pm (AEST) on Sunday.