The NBA season is back in full swing, and there’s plenty of Australians to keep an eye on across the league.
From the stars at the top generating plenty of buzz, to those coming through the ranks, the Aussie contingent continues to boom.
Below foxsports.com.au runs through how all the Aussies in the NBA are faring in the early parts of the season.
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In fact the Nets are actually a better team when Simmons is on the bench, as revealed by the Ringer NBA Analyst Kevin O’Connor.
“Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving with Ben Simmons on the floor, they’ve played 103 possessions, and they’ve been outscored by 23 points per 100 possessions,” O’Connor told The Mismatch podcast.
“In the 51 possessions Durant and Irving have been on the floor without Simmons, they’re outscoring teams by 10 points per 100 possessions – a difference of 33.
“We’re working with tiny samples, but you’ve got a defence that can’t defend no matter who is on the floor, and then you have an offence that is sputtering when it is running through Simmons rather than Kyrie Irving or Durant or even Patty Mills for that matter.
“It’s a real issue with Simmons not being what he once was – a 16 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, All-Defence, one of the best defensive players on the planet and now he is six points, six assists, seven rebounds and looks like nothing he was before on the defensive end of the floor.
“They look like a better team when Simmons isn’t on the court.”
He just hasn’t looked comfortable and has been well below his best form at both ends of the floor, with the 1-2 Nets an overall minus 43 this season during Simmons’ 83 minutes on the court.
Growing pains were expected in Simmons’ return after missing all of last season, and both he and coach Steve Nash have put his indifferent form down to “rust.”
But Brooklyn would want him to turn things around soon and show his worth as the third highest paid player on the roster, particularly after a chaotic off-season when Durant requested a trade before returning to the team.
JOSH GIDDEY (OKC Thunder)
After his dazzling rookie season, Giddey looks ready to take another leap this campaign.
The 6-foot-8 guard carried his impressive pre-season form into the season proper, averaging 16 points, 11.5 rebounds, five assists and two triples through two games.
Crucially, Giddey showed that his improved shooting from beyond the arc he worked on over the off-season (and showed in the pre-season) is real after averaging one three-pointer on 26.3 per cent last year.
Unfortunately though, in the Thunder’s third game of the season, the 20-year old suffered a hamstring setback, departing the game with 10 points and five assists in 22 minutes.
It’s worth noting that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was absent through injury during the pre-season and a lot of last year when Giddey had total control of the back-court, so how the two function together is still an unknown.
However Giddey remains the clear No. 2 option on this team, and with Pick 2 Chet Holmgren out for the season and the Thunder again prioritising development over winning as one of many teams in the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes, the Aussie will be given every opportunity to flourish.
JOCK LANDALE (Phoenix Suns)
Those who’ve followed Jock Landale for some time won’t be shocked that he’s making waves in the NBA for a genuine contender.
The big man has established himself as the back-up centre behind DeAndre Ayton at the Suns, averaging 7.3 points and 5.3 rebounds in 14 minutes off the bench, after crossing from the San Antonio Spurs.
The impressive thing about the 27-year old though is that he’s genuinely impactful on the court including a promising 17-point, seven-rebound, two-block performance against the Warriors on Wednesday (all times AEDT).
“I think Jock Landale has found a home here,” NBA legend Reggie Miller said on NBA on TNT.
“He stayed the whole summer in Phoenix and worked with the younger guys and absolutely destroyed them.”
ESPN’s Kane Pittman said: “Phoenix legitimately running the offence through Jock Landale over the last few minutes. Landale has a real role on a contending team and remember Chris Paul has made a career of feeding talented big men. Great fit.”
Of course, it’s also possible that the Suns trade Ayton when he’s eligible to be moved in mid January after signing an extension with the Phoenix in the off-season.
If that were to happen, and the Suns didn’t bring back an established centre in a trade (which would clearly put a lot of faith in Landale), or if Ayton got injured, then the Aussie could really explode.
But either way, Landale looks primed to build to continue his NBA development in a meaningful role and build off last year’s rookie season.
PATTY MILLS (Brooklyn Nets)
The veteran is playing a smaller role off the bench this season for a Nets team with a more crowded rotation.
The sharpshooting Mills has still averaged 10.7 points and 2.7 three-point makes on 47 per cent shooting, however his minutes have been cut from an average of 29 last year to 17 this year.
The slight concern for the 34-year old is that the Nets are still yet to welcome back Seth Curry into the mix, which will only further cut into Mills’ playing time.
Nonetheless, Mills is still a reliable option for Steve Nash and the ideal option to bring off the bench for floor spacing and notorious great locker room veteran.
DYSON DANIELS (New Orleans Pelicans)
Opportunities won’t come easy for last year’s Pick 8 draftee on a deep Pelicans team that looks like a genuine contender in the West.
He played just three minutes of junk time in the team’s season opener against the Nets and looks to be behind the likes of Jose Alvarado and Devonte‘ Graham in the guard pecking order
However injuries to Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and Herb Jones meant Daniels got an extended run against the Mavericks – and he made it count.
In his first meaningful NBA minutes, Daniels was matched up on Luka Doncic – and showed he was up for the tough first assignment – getting two steals on the Slovenian star and adding another swipe, 11 points, one triple, three rebounds and one block in 22 minutes in a promising showing.
Willie Green played the 19-year old for 15 minutes straight in the first half such was the guard’s impact on the game, being active on both ends of the floor and showing off his versatility.
It was the ideal audition to show that when Daniels is next called upon, he’ll be ready, and he might’ve even forced Green’s hand to find a way to get him in the rotation.
Dyson Daniels fills the stat box! | 01:37
MATISSE THYBULLE (Philadelphia 76ers)
The 25-year old has found himself out of the Sixers’ rotation altogether in something of a surprise move.
Thybulle has previously played a big role for Philly as one of the league’s premier wing defenders. He’s played 20 and 25 minutes respectively over the last two seasons where’s he’s claimed All-Defensive Second Team honours in each campaign.
But this season Tybulle has played a grand total of just five minutes, perhaps even more surprisingly give the Sixers have struggled defensively – ranked 22nd in the league in defensive rating (114.7).
Sixers coach Doc Rivers said the team’s added wing depth and playing a smaller rotation have squeezed Thybulle out for now.
“It’s just the other guys,” Rivers said, per Sixers Wire.
“It’s a pecking order right now, but he’s working his butt off and he’ll play. He’ll get a chance to earn more minutes at some point for sure, but right now Danuel House and the De’Anthony are in front of him.
“We’re going with a smaller rotation, but he’ll have a chance to earn minutes at some point.”
It comes after Thybulle wasn’t offered a contract extension in the lead into last week’s deadline, making him a restricted free agent at season’s end.
The good sign is that Thybulle has been putting in the work behind the scenes, seen putting up shots after Sixers games as he looks to improve his offensive game.
JOSH GREEN (Dallas Mavericks)
The former Pick 18 has seen a slight uptick in his minutes on the court this season for the Mavericks – playing 16.5 minutes from three games.
He still hasn’t added a three-point shot to his repertoire nor has he been as consistent as he’d like to be, but the 21-year old’s defensive versatility continues to earn him opportunities.
If he ever does add a three-point stroke, you just know Luka Doncic will feed him great looks and help the Aussie take his game to another level.
It’s worth noting that Green is eligible for a contact extension at season’s end, making it a big campaign ahead for the guard as he looks to establish himself at NBA level.
JOE INGLES (Milwaukee Bucks)
Ingles remains sidelined with an ACL injury sustained in January, and it’ll be a gradual build up to his return to the court for the Milwaukee Bucks after getting traded from the Jazz.
While there’s been no official update as such on when the 35-year old might be back, Milwaukee general manager Jon Horst said it likely won’t be until January.
Even when he does return, Ingles likely won’t play a massive role on the court for a stacked Bucks line-up, and he’s probably bee largely brought into the franchise as a high-quality veteran locker room guy.
Ingles still however remains an elite catch and shoot three-point shooter who can also handle the ball.
JACK WHITE (Denver Nuggets)
The forward earned a two-way contract with the Nuggets after an impressive Summer League stint, however he’s yet to see any minutes on a Denver team tipped to challenge in the West.
White is expected to spend the majority of his time with the Nuggets’ G-League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold, although two-way players are permitted to spend up to 50 games with their NBA sides where he’ll gain invaluable experience even if he doesn’t get regular minutes in Mike Malone’s rotation.
The 25-year old does hold the record in three of the Nuggets’ five competitive shooting drills and teammate Christian Braun labelled White the “best shooter on the team.”
MATTHEW DELLAVEDOVA (Sacramento Kings)
The tough and much-loved long-time Boomer also hasn’t seen any NBA minutes for the Kings yet this season.
The 32-year old veteran initially signed a non-guaranteed deal with the Kings, meaning he was never slated for big on-court opportunities in Sacramento and is behind the likes of De’Aaron Fox and Davion Mitchell in the point guard pecking order.
It might take an injury for Dellavedova to crack into the rotation, but even if he doesn’t, offers plenty off the court.
