Ben Simmons is back after an injury layoff, several Australian young guns are blossoming before our eyes, while a number of veterans are contributing in different ways.
And in an endorsement to the country, nearly every Aussie is playing for a winning team, many with genuine championship aspirations.
Below foxsports.com.au looks at how all the Australians in the NBA have been tracking in recent weeks and the early stages of this season.
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BEN SIMMONS (Brooklyn Nets)
It’s been an injury-affected start to Ben Simmons’ time with the Brooklyn Nets.
He’s played in 20 of a possible 31 games for the team including only recently returning from an extended absence with a left calf strain that’s believed to be linked to his knee soreness.
The 26-year old hasn’t quite looked himself upon returning – averaging 7.5 points, 6.7 rebounds and 6.2 assists in 25.2 minutes – at least not the version of Simmons right before the setback that was recapturing some of his previous best All-Star level form.
But unlike earlier this season, Simmons being ramped up – and even out altogether – has mattered not for a surging Nets team that has gone 10-1 over its last 11 games including six wins in a row to climb into the East’s fourth seed.
As such, it not only alleviates pressure on both the Aussie and the Nets, but also means they can be smarter with how they manage him.
Of course, Simmons sat out all of last campaign during his trade standoff with the Philadelphia 76ers before having back surgery after moving to the Nets as he went into this season under some restrictions.
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However Nets coach Jacque Vaughn last Friday admitted the team learned it pushed Simmons “a little too much” early in the campaign in hopes of him growing with his new teammates and getting comfortable being back on the hardwood.
And so Brooklyn’s plan moving forward will be to pay more attention to the Aussie’s minutes and make sure he’s cherry ripe for the business end of the season – where the Nets now need to be taken more seriously.
“I think we’ve continued to build their minutes up but not to the point where it’s too many,” Vaughn said of both Simmons and T.J. Warren, who recently returned from his own injury.
“And so we want both those guys to be healthy at the end of the year.
“So we got to be smart about how we use those guys going forward, whether that’s back-to-backs how we use those minutes, whether that is how many minutes they play in a single game. I think we have enough depth to use their minutes judiciously and to be able to play at a pace that we want to and still play hard.”
JOSH GIDDEY (OKC Thunder)
It’s been a season of adjustment for Giddey in learning to play alongside a fully fit and firing Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
While Gilgeous-Alexander has been linked to trade rumours over the last year or so, it’s fair to say OKC has its back-court settled for the future.
Without taking a major leap, Giddey continues to show promising signs and flashes of starpower in his sophomore campaign.
His form in December has been particularly encouraging. Through seven games, he’s averaged 15.6 points, 9.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists while shooting 44.4% from deep on 3.9 attempts with a 54.8% true shooting percentage, per reporter Mark Schindler, including five double-doubles.
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We know how talented he is as a playmaker, but the rebounding and improved efficiency from deep are clearly the two things that stand out there.
If Giddey can continue to develop his three-point stroke, his ceiling goes to another level, especially given how it’d get him better looks with so much defensive attention on Gilgeous-Alexander.
“You see the progression from Josh Giddey behind the arc,” Locked On Podcast’s Rylan Stiles said.
“The overhaul he’s seen from behind the arc despite only working with Chip England for half an off-season – that is so encouraging for the future of his game.”
DYSON DANIELS (New Orleans Pelicans)
The Pick 8 draftee has established himself in the rotation of a Pelicans team with a top five record in the league.
While injuries to Brandon Ingram and Herb Jones helped forged a path to more minutes for Daniels, he’s taken every opportunity with both hands
The 19-year old even drew starts in five games in recent weeks and played big minutes while the Pelicans went on a tear including a seven-game winning streak.
It’s during this time that Daniels really caught the eye of the wider basketball world, with NBA analyst Bill Simmons giving him an honourable mention in The Ringer’s top 70 trade value last – effectively ranking the top 70 players in the league right now based on current production, potential and how much they’re being paid.
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Despite still being only a teenager, Daniels plays with a maturity beyond his years, so much so that Willie Green has given him defensive assignments on the likes of LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Devin Booker across his first 21 games. This also holds him in great stead for the future.
The young gun has very much shown he can already contribute in a meaningful way to a winning team, and the question is now, what his role looks like when the Pelicans get fully fit.
Jones’ return to the line-up has seen Daniels move back to the bench and into a 20-ish minute role, and he’s likely to take a further hit when Ingram is back.
But can he continue to play upwards of 15 minutes and genuinely contribute on a nightly basis, or does he become more of an end-of-bench guy?
The fact that the Pels are emerging as a contender means opportunities won’t be given out and he’ll have to keep earning them, but it also takes an entire roster to win a championship.
Regardless, Daniels has proven to be one of the most promising young stars in the league on one of the brightest teams, and whenever his name is called, you know he’ll give 110%.
JOSH GREEN (Dallas Mavericks)
An elbow injury setback to Green came at a less than ideal time when he was just starting to find his stride for the Mavericks and in the NBA at large.
It included the former Pick 18 dropping a season-high 23 points with six threes against the Nuggets on November 22 and a 16-point outing against Phoenix last week.
Green had always been rated for his versatility on the defensive end, but providing more offensively including a three-point stroke has seen the 21-year old make a key jump in his third NBA season as he’s moved into a bigger role in Dallas.
Green has averaged seven points with one three-pointer on 44% shooting from downtown and 0.9 steals in 20.3 minutes this season – which increases to 12.5 points, 1.7 triples and 1.6 steals per 36 minutes.
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd gave huge praise to Green earlier this month, saying he has “superstar” talent and that he’s “going to get paid” next off-season when he’s eligible for a rookie extension.
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In fact, so highly rated is Green in Dallas that Mavericks beat writer Tim Cato wrote in The Athletic that the team views him as a key long-term piece alongside Luka Doncic as opposed to a potential trade asset as it searches for answers and potential help for the Slovenian superstar amid an indifferent 15-15 start to the season.
“Dallas understands it must build a title-contending team around (Luka) Doncic in the next couple seasons, and every non-Doncic player on the roster should be considered available in that pursuit. That said, my understanding is that the Mavericks would be very hesitant to trade Green at this point. One person in the front office told me that he considered him the team’s third-most important player after Doncic and Dinwiddie. It’s a stance I agree with for the reasons listed above,” Cato wrote.
“In my opinion, Green isn’t a player who should be traded for anything other than a package for a legitimate star. And the chances are pretty slim that the Mavericks could build any package right now, even including Green, that would net them another star. That makes his future with the team fairly safe, at least for now. I’m more curious what type of extension Dallas might consider for him this coming summer.”
JOE INGLES (Milwaukee Bucks)
It’s time!
Ingles has been cleared to make his return from an ACL injury that has sidelined him for the best part of 12 months.
The veteran is now a member of the Milwaukee Bucks – a bona fide championship contender that will have a big say on the outcome of this season.
Exactly how much Ingles plays for the Bucks – both in the interim and long-term – remains to be seen, although he’ll clearly have restrictions early.
But the fact that one of the best teams in the league signed him in free agency while he was injured tells you enough about how much he’s valued, providing leadership off the court too.
MATISSE THYBULLE (Philadelphia 76ers)
After being frozen out of the Sixers rotation to start the season, Thybulle has since worked his way into a bigger role.
He’s played over 20 minutes in each of the last two games including dropping a season-high 15 points with 5-for-7 shooting including 3-of-4 from downtown in a win over the Sacramento Kings.
It’s worth noting it has come without injured starting two guard Tyrese Maxey, who’s set to return in the coming weeks.
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But the Sixers are 3-1 with Thybulle in the starting line-up and he remains one of the best defenders in the league.
The big knock on Thybulle has been his shooting, however, if he can produce more performances like against the Kings, he should be in line for proper rotation minutes even when Maxey returns.
Thybulle, Shake Milton and Danuel House will likely battle for bench opportunities, and even Roc Rivers mightn’t know exactly what his rotation will look like exactly come January.
PATTY MILLS (Brooklyn Nets)
The Brooklyn Nets are now essentially at full strength after the likes of Seth Curry and TJ Warren were injured to start the season – and it’s squeezed Mills out of the rotation.
The Nets, who’ve won six in a row, do have one of the deepest squads in the league and a plethora of outside shooters, which has also in some ways marginalised Mills given his three-point stroke is his greatest strength.
Plus it’s been on the defensive end of the floor where the Nets have had bigger problems – an area where Mills doesn’t provide much value.
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But the 34-year old showed he can still step in on any given night, dropping 24 points with six rebounds and six assists for the undermanned Nets in a win over the Indiana Pacers last week.
Having an experienced guy like Mills to play alongside the likes of Cam Thomas, Edmond Sumner, Day’Ron Sharpe and Kessler Edwards when the stars need a rest or otherwise is important for a Nets team with title ambitions.
His off-court leadership is also key in that department and from a cultural perspective in another area Brooklyn has had its issues.
JOCK LANDALE (Phoenix Suns)
Landale continues to provide solid backup centre minutes for the Suns despite Bismack Biyombo moving into a bigger role in recent times to cut into the Aussie’s opportunities and create something of a timeshare.
We know Landale’s ceiling will be capped so long as DeAndre Ayton is in Phoenix, but it’s not out of the realm of possibilities that Ayton is moved before the trade deadline.
Landale did produce one of his best games of the season against the Clippers when Ayton missed with an ankle issue, posting a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double with
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one triple, two assists and two blocks in a season-high 27 minutes.
Whenever Ayton is out, Landale has a key role to play, and he’s established himself as the superior big to Biyombo in those games.
While that clearly won’t happen often, it’s important in terms of Landale’s overall value to the Suns – especially on a team with genuine title aspirations.
JACK WHITE (Denver Nuggets)
After a call up to the Nuggets throughout November where he played eight games, White has moved back to their G League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold.
He’s been in stellar form since returning to the G League, averaging 19.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.3 blocks from six games throughout December.
After joining Denver on a two-way contract, White was never expected to play a big role, although two-way players are permitted to spend 50 games with their NBA sides.
It means the 25-year old will get another shot for the Nuggets at some stage, where he’ll want to be ready when or if his name is called.
MATTHEW DELLAVEDOVA (Sacramento Kings)
The Aussie fan-favourite was never slated to be much more than an end-of-bench guy for the Sacramento Kings – and he’s been exactly that.
Dellavedova has been used sparingly, averaging 7.5 minutes per game for the much-improved Kings that sit fifth in the Western Conference.
Of course, his arrival at the franchise comes in its best start to a season since the 2004/05 campaign … coincidence?
He’s playing as a third-string point guard behind De’Aaron Fox – probably Sacramento’s best player – and Davion Mitchell, so opportunities will be few and far between.
But one thing you can always count on with Delly is that he’ll give his all whenever he steps onto the court.
