NBA star Montrezl Harrell has reportedly agreed to a deal with the Adelaide 36ers, becoming one of the NBL’s highest-profile signings.
The 2020 NBA Sixth Man of the Year has reportedly signed a short-term contract to make the move to Australia according to ESPN’s Olgun Uluc.
Harrell, 30, will be ain injury replacement for Jarell Martin who is recovering from a patellar tendon injury and won’t take the court until later in the season.
Get all the latest basketball news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now!!!
While his deal will start as a short-term contract, Harrell’s stay could reportedly be extended, with the 6 foot 7 forward potentially playing alongside Martin.
However, the 36ers would need to deactivate an Australian player to secure his services long-term and extend his stay.
Harrell enjoyed a successful NBA career, playing eight seasons with the Rockets, Clippers, Lakers, 76ers, Wizards and Hornets to tally 515 games.
Bulletts part ways with Aron Baynes | 00:50
He played 221 games for the Clippers between 2017 and 2020, and during Los Angeles’ 2019/20 campaign was named Sixth Man of the Year.
Harrell averaged 18.6 points and 7.1 rebounds per game during that campaign.
His last stint in the NBA came in Philadelphia, where he was ultimately waived in October 2023, having suffered a torn ACL and meniscus in August that year.
Harrell now joins Lamelo Ball, Andrew Gaze, Aron Baynes, David Anderson, Bryce Cotton, Matthew Dellavedova, Josh Giddey and Andrew Bogut as one of the highest-profile players to feature in the NBL.
Australian grassroots basketball is exploding, yet there are nowhere near enough courts to cater for all the people who want to play – meaning that masses of kids with dreams of wearing green and gold are instead turned away.
In years gone by, potential future Boomers and Opals like Scott Pendlebury, Luke Jackson and Sophie Garbin have been lost to other sports, having played basketball before choosing footy and netball.
Today, a nationwide shortage of nearly 1000 courts means 150,000 would-be hoopers have no choice. People are turning to basketball in droves – lured by the lower risk of injury compared to contact sports, a pop culture element, reasonable fees of $300-400 per season, and even dreams of one day earning big-money NBA contracts – yet many are unable to play in organised competitions.
Since 2019, the year before Covid decimated sports participation, there has been a rise of more than 400,000 players. Nearly 100,000 more women are playing basketball; 305,000 are now hitting the courts.
With about 1.6 million total active players, every court in the country is at bursting point. If another 900 courts magically materialised tomorrow, they’d immediately be at capacity.
In the meantime, players are being shut out. The next Patty Mills, Lauren Jackson, Josh Giddey or Ezi Magbegor could instead be running around playing football, tennis or cricket because the investment in basketball has not kept up with demand, leaving a black hole of more than $5 billion – conservatively – for the sport to navigate.
“Our entries are all online now and we’ll say, ‘OK, entries open 7am Monday’ and, within 15 minutes, most comps are filled,” says Hills Basketball Association CEO Steve Burke, who runs the biggest hoops association in NSW.
“I get people saying we’ve broken their kids’ hearts because they forgot to put the team entry in and all their friends hate them and all this sort of stuff.”
CODE Sports has obtained letters from parents whose junior teams in other associations have been turned away. They are heart-rending (read them on the link below).
Meanwhile in Victoria, some areas have no indoor courts at all. In Adelaide, the lack of courts while thousands of new houses are being built to the city’s north is sparking fears of major youth crime problems.
“There’s nothing for them to do, there’s no facilities. That’s going to be trouble for those kids in five years’ time, when those houses are all full. Youth crime in the future … you can’t think about it, it’s terrifying really,” says Sue Wood, administrator of Adelaide Community Basketball Association.
Referee abuse is another massive problem, with the confronting problems laid bare by a leading whistleblower.
The next Patty Mills could end up in another sport due to a chronic shortage of basketball courts across Australia. Picture: News Corp AustraliaSource: News Corp Australia
*****
CODE Sports spoke to people on the ground all over Australia, plus basketball’s top powerbrokers and icons like Andrew Gaze and Robyn Maher, to deliver the special five-part report BOOM or BUST. Every level of the game was examined thoroughly, with remarkable findings.
– A major roadblock in grassroots basketball is causing heartbreak for players and threatening ‘terrifying’ social consequences. It could cost us the next Patty Mills.
– Australian basketball’s junior elite development is envied worldwide, yet one ‘major problem’ is obvious. We delve into trends that have icons like Andrew Gaze and Brian Goorjian worried.
– The WNBL is at ground zero, salaries are poor and the Opals far less popular than the Matildas despite greater success. Now an icon has unloaded over the sad state of Australian women’s basketball.
– Australian basketball boomed in the 1990s, then almost died. We examine what the cautionary tale means for an expanding NBL, and rising stars who’ll decide the Boomers’ future.
– Australian basketball is exploding from the grassroots to the elite level, yet there is one serious threat to that growth. To conclude a special series, DAVID ANDERSEN examines the strengths of the sport and what must improve.
Team USA has completed an epic comeback over Serbia, winning 91-86 in Friday morning’s thrilling Olympics basketball semi-final (all times AEDT) to set up a gold medal clash with France.
After digging themselves into a huge hole, the Americans outscored Serbia 32-15 in the fourth quarter in a fierce rally led by Steph Curry and the 39-year old LeBron James, while Joel Embiid helped slow three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic.
Curry led all scorers with 36 points on 9-of-14 shooting from downtown, while James racked up a 16-point, 12-rebound, 10-assist triple-double, with the superstar duo and Kevin Durant scoring the final 13 points for Team USA.
It included an assertive run down the stretch of the fourth term where Curry’s three-pointer gave USA an 87-86 lead before layups to James then Curry extended that advantage to 91-86 inside the last two minutes.
They never trailed again.
Team USA has completed a bonkers comeback over Serbia in Friday morning’s thrilling men’s basketball semi-final.Source: FOX SPORTS
A pair of Curry free throws with eight seconds left followed by a Bogdan Bogdanovic missed three sealed the Americans’ crazy win.
Jokic led the way for Serbia with 17 points, 11 assists and five rebounds, while Bogdanovic had a team-high 20 points.
Serbia shot out of the gates with a 31-23 lead after the first term and maintained a healthy lead all game.
A wild four-point play from Serbia’s Marko Guduric late in the third quarter extended their lead to 75-61 before Durant cut it to a 13-point game at the end of three periods.
Team USA came storming back in the fourth quarter though after Jokic failed to convert a three-point play early in the term, with the Americans hitting consecutive threes to get within five points at 78-73 with just over seven minutes to play.
Steve Kerr’s side kept surging in a 11-4 run — capped off by a James layup —to tie the scores inside the last four minutes.
“It’s unravelling for Serbia,” Australian legend Andrew Gaze said on Channel 9 as Team USA’s superstars took over in the clutch.
It kept alive the United States’ quest for a fifth consecutive gold medal, facing host France in Sunday’s final.
Durant will go for his fourth gold, which would be a men’s record.
“Gotta get in the hard way. We was preaching that the whole fourth quarter,” James said in an oncourt TV interview.
“Beating a team three times in the last three weeks, we know it was gonna be difficult. We knew Serbia was gonna give us everything they had. Kudos to Serbia, but we came through.
“Chef Curry with a (great) Chef Curry game, Joel was big time for us. And we needed it, we needed it.”
Curry carried Team USA early, with 14 of their first 15 points for a quick two-point lead.
But they coughed up seven unanswered points, a Serbia run capped by Embiid throwing a bad pass for a turnover and uncontested basket going the other way.
The 31-23 deficit after one seemed surmountable, but that’s when Team USA let the game get away from them. They coughed up an 11-2 run to open the second quarter and fell behind by 17.
see also
See all US medalists at 2024 Paris Olympic Games as Team USA goes for the top spot this summer
Vasilije Micić banked in a three-pointer to push the lead to 39-25. Then, after Jokic blocked James at the rim, Micic found the three-time NBA MVP for an and-one.
That capped an 11-2 blitz and saw Jokic serenaded by chants of “MVP! MVP!” from the Parisian crowd in Bercy Arena.
Team USA trailed 42-25 with 6:25 left in the half, and spent the entire rest of the afternoon chasing.
It took them until the final moments to catch up.
It was sloppiness and turnovers that cost Team USA for most of the contest.
They clawed within 65-59, but they saw Marko Guduric’s 4-point play cap an 11-2 Serbia run and push their deficit back to 76-61 in the final minute of the third quarter.
It was a mountainous hill to climb, but Team USA did it.
After pulling with 84-80, Durant rebounded a Serbia miss and Embiid hit a fade over Jokic with four and a half minutes left.
Earlier, host nation France fought off a late comeback from Germany to win 73-69 on Thursday and reach the final of the Olympic men’s basketball with four-time reigning champions the United States or Serbia lying in wait.
Guerschon Yabusele led Tokyo silver medallists France with 17 points and Isaia Cordinier added 16. Victor Wembanyama finished with 11 points despite another poor shooting performance.
France could meet Team USA on Saturday in a repeat of the final from three years ago if the heavily favoured Americans get past Nikola Jokic’s Serbia in the second semi-final later Thursday.
Germany were one of two remaining unbeaten teams but France set the record straight in Paris’ Bercy Arena after their 85-71 loss to the same opponents in the group stage in Lille.
“The players were just remembering how they were laughing last game, how easy it looked for them,” said Wembanyama.
“I’m sure losing that game in the group phase helped us win today, definitely.” Dennis Schroder led 2023 World Cup winners Germany with 18 points. Fritz Wagner was the only other player in double figures for a team that will seek the consolation of a first-ever Olympic medal in the third-place playoff.
“They were better than us today,” said Schroder. “At the end of the day we wanted to get a medal here and that’s still open.” Germany, just as they did in the previous clash, moved into an early lead with Schroder and Wagner quickly finding their touch.
The Germans moved 28-18 in front after a three from Nick Weiler-Babb to open the second quarter, but France flipped the momentum their way as Wembanyama made his mark.
He opened his account with a shot off the glass and then stonewalled Germany centre Daniel Theis, energising the packed crowd and raising the decibel levels further with a three-point play.
France ended the half with a flourish and Wembanyama’s dunk tied the game at 33 apiece.
Nicolas Batum nailed a three-pointer to put France ahead for the first time to begin the second half, with Yabusele getting into the act as well.
Yabusele, top scorer with 22 points in the quarter-final victory over Canada, carried his team with a series of baskets, but Schroder replied in equal measure.
With the lead switching back and forth in a gripping third quarter, France surged six points clear when Evan Fournier rattled in a shot from beyond the arc.
France went into the final period leading 56-50 and looked to have left Germany in the rear view mirror thanks to a three from Wembanyama followed by a bucket from Mathias Lessort.
Another Wembanyama block on Schroder resulted in Frank Ntilikina knocking down a three in transition to put France 13 points in front.
Germany refused to roll over and France struggled to make the game safe, Wagner netting a long three to slash the deficit to two with just under 40 seconds to play.
Wagner crucially lost his balance though after hauling down a rebound in a one-possession game.
Wembanyama missed the chance to ice the game by hitting only one free throw, but Cordinier was less forgiving from the foul line as France sealed a return to the final to the delight of the home crowd.
The NBA offseason is in full swing now and there have been a number of Australians in the headlines, with Josh Giddey traded to Chicago early in the piece while Josh Green was the latest countryman to land on a new team.
With all of that in mind, foxsports.com.au has you covered with all the latest news on every Australian in the NBA and what is in store for those who will be wearing new colours.
JOSH GIDDEY (Chicago Bulls)
Starting with the biggest name of the lot because for the last three years, Giddey had been one of the faces of the Oklahoma City rebuild.
But, as has been well-established by this point, he was forced into a role that didn’t play into his strengths as the talented Thunder roster rose to new heights in the 2023-24 season.
That is all old news though. So, what is new for Giddey in Chicago?
Well, for starters he won’t be coming off the bench given what the 21-year-old said at his introductory press conference for the Bulls.
Giddey opens up on trade to Bulls | 01:12
“I just said to him at this point in my career, I’m 21 years old, it wasn’t something that I was overly eager to do,” Giddey said of his chat with Thunder GM Sam Presti.
You would suspect Giddey wouldn’t be eager to do that at the Bulls either, especially when you consider he would have been a lot closer to contending for a title at Oklahoma City.
At this stage it looks like Giddey will be starting in the backcourt alongside Coby White, who is a nice fit alongside the Australian after shooting 38 per cent from deep on seven attempts per game last season.
Ayo Dosunmu, Chicago’s young guard who emerged down the stretch, looks more likely to settle into a bench rotation role.
Elsewhere, DeMar DeRozan’s departure for Sacramento will only further open up more opportunities for this to be Giddey’s team.
That is true to a degree, of course, given the Bulls won’t want to just give Giddey the keys entirely considering how much White showed in a prominent role last season.
But it will still be a much better set-up for Giddey in terms of getting his hands on the ball more while the Bulls won’t be expected to compete for a playoff berth either, meaning there should be less pressure and hence more chances for Giddey to make — and learn from — mistakes.
Gaze: Bulls a ‘better fit’ for Giddey | 00:59
“It was going to be hard to tap into my full potential, in my opinion, on a team like [Oklahoma City] with so many talented guys who needed the ball in their hands, who were great with the ball in their hands,” Giddey said.
“A change of scenery was going to maybe unlock more of that for me. Being able to make the game easy for everybody, being able to get guys involved, distribute the ball and get other players confident around me is the thing I pride myself on doing.
“And it’s hard to do that in a role when the ball isn’t in your hands a lot. … That’s probably the big thing coming in here. I want to be the pass-first point guard I am.”
Bulls fans will get a look at the pass-first point guard in Giddey at this year’s Olympics after the 21-year-old thrived in a similar role at the FIBA World Cup.
The big question for the Bulls as a whole is what happens with Zach LaVine, who is due to make $43 million next season, $46 million in 2025-26 and has a $49 million player option for 2026-27.
At this stage, the Bulls are still looking to offload him but may find it hard to get the kind of return they are after given LaVine’s contract and the fact they have so little leverage in negotiations.
JOSH GREEN (Charlotte Hornets)
As will be consistent with all the younger Australian players moved this offseason, this trade takes Green further away from competing for a title but will ultimately help his development.
At Dallas, Green was restricted to a rotation role where he was more of a 3-and-D guy than anything else, complementing Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
There were times that Green excelled in that role, most notably in Game 5 of the NBA Finals when he made four 3-pointers on his way to 14 points off the bench in a loss to the Celtics.
But for the most part Green’s form would fluctuate depending on how he was shooting the ball.
Josh Green was traded to Charlotte. (Photo by Graham Denholm/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
What didn’t falter though was the energy and hustle Green offered on both ends of the floor and he will be an important player in setting the tone and culture for a Charlotte team that is still in the early stages of forming its own identity.
Green has an opportunity to start at the two for the Hornets but either way he will see more minutes than he did at the Mavericks and have more freedom, like Giddey, to make mistakes and learn from them.
At Dallas, if Green made too many missteps he risked having his minutes squeezed in the rotation for a team that has title aspirations.
It is easy to forget Green is still only 23 years old and he has previously shown his potential when operating as the primary ballhandler in games without Doncic or Irving.
He may not have as many wins on the board in Charlotte but don’t be surprised if Green emerges as a breakout player of sorts with the added responsibility.
DYSON DANIELS (Atlanta Hawks)
Likewise, Daniels is another player who will benefit from getting a fresh start in the upcoming season.
New Orleans traded Daniels as part of a move that saw the Pelicans land Dejounte Murray and it is expected to be just the start of more major changes at Atlanta, who may be heading towards a rebuild of sorts.
With that in mind, Daniels also has a legitimate chance to see playing time — at least more than he was getting at New Orleans, another Western Conference contender on the rise.
In fact, there is every chance he could share the backcourt with Trae Young, should he stay at the Hawks, given the Australian’s elite defence would be the perfect match alongside him.
Dyson Daniels will have more opportunities with the Hawks. (Photo by Graham Denholm/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Daniels’ point of attack defence in particular will keep him on the court, while any growth on the offensive side of the ball will determine just how high his ceiling is.
The young guard out of Bendigo looked hesitant and lacked confidence at times when playing for the Pelicans, whether it was with his shot or driving to the rim.
If Daniels can overcome that mental battle and develop his perimeter shooting, he could end up being a key piece of Atlanta’s future but at least his defence gives him a solid floor and an asset the Hawks desperately need right now as constructed.
JOE INGLES (Minnesota Timberwolves)
It wasn’t supposed to be like this for Ingles, who told reporters after Australia’s second warm-up game against China that he hoped he would be a one-team player in his NBA career.
“The crazy thing is I only wanted to play for one. I really just wanted to play for one,” Ingles said, per ESPN.
Instead Ingles played eight seasons at Utah until he tore his ACL and was traded to Portland, where he remained sidelined by injury and didn’t see a single minute on the court before becoming a free agent.
The veteran wing then secured a one-year contract with the Bucks, only to then agree to another short-term deal with the Magic the following season and now Minnesota is the next stop for the Boomers legend.
Although Ingles revealed he could have easily already been on the Timberwolves this time last year.
“They actually tried to get me last year as well,” Ingles said.
Ingles landed at Orlando instead, where he was the oldest player in a young roster that exceeded expectations and will likely continue to rise up the Eastern Conference standings.
Ingles signs one-year deal with Wolves | 00:39
But unlike Giddey, Green and Daniels, Ingles is heading to a team that is a genuine title contender next year.
The Timberwolves knocked off defending champions Denver in this past season’s playoffs before going down to the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference semi-finals.
In Minnesota, Ingles will reunite with former Jazz teammates Mike Conley and Rudy Gobert.
He will also team up with one of the league’s most rapidly ascending superstars — and best trash talkers — in Anthony Edwards.
“He’s good,” Ingles said of Edwards’ trash talk.
“I’ll save it for someone else. (But) it’s exciting. It’s obviously a really good team. Western Conference finals this year. Just going in there fully understanding the role they have for me. Trying to help Rudy, trying to help Ant, trying to help all these guys get better and hopefully go further.”
Ingles described it as a “basketball opportunity that was too good to give up”.
Realistically, the 36-year-old will slot into a similar bench role to Kyle Anderson, who signed a three-year contract with Golden State.
He can still shoot the ball and is a valuable veteran locker room presence while his familiarity with Conley and Gobert is obviously also a plus.
JOHNNY FURPHY (Indiana Pacers)
From an Australian veteran to the country’s newest NBA export.
Furphy was projected as a mid-to-late first round pick but was instead made to wait until the early stages of the second round for his name to be called.
The Indiana Pacers traded up to land the Victorian, who Pacers coach Rick Carlisle told ‘The Wake Up Call’ on 107.5 The Fan was actually the 14th-ranked prospect on their big board.
“He is a guy that our scouts had as the No. 14 player in the entire draft, and we got him at 35, so we feel pretty fortunate there,” Carlisle said.
At19 years old, Furphy offers plenty of upside with his combination of shooting, athleticism and length at 6-foot-9.
Johnny Furphy during his time at the Kansas Jayhawks. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
But Furphy is very much a developmental player who still needs to add plenty of weight to his frame to be able to handle the physicality of the NBA.
That is something both Furphy and Chad Buchanan are aware of though, with the Indiana general manager telling reporters the team believes the former Kansas wing has “a lot of room to grow”.
“Both his body physically and his game,” Buchanan said.
“He’s obviously very young in age, but we liked a lot of things about him that felt like aligned with who we are as an organisation and how we play.”
Specifically, Indiana likes to push the pace and that is a stylistic fit for Furphy, who had highlight finishes in transition during his time at Basketball Australia’s Centre of Excellence.
The way Furphy moves, or more accurately, glides down the court also makes him an ideal piece for the high-tempo offence Indiana runs.
“I think the Pacers run a super exciting play style. Their team dynamic is something I can envision myself fitting in really well,” Furphy said in his introductory press conference.
“Just how fast they play. How different players impact the game. I can kind of envision myself doing that.”
Pacers nab exciting Aussie with pick 35 | 01:48
Furphy, who said slipping out of the first round of the draft is “definitely a motivation” for him moving forward, will likely struggle to find playing time early in his Pacers career and Buchanan hinted at as much.
“The reality is our roster is in a situation where it’s going to be tough for a young guy to come in and play,” the Pacers GM said.
“We have a lot of good young players already on the roster. We have a lot of established roles already. We feel like we’re willing to be a little bit more patient with a young player like Johnny.”
But that is honestly for the best since Furphy was viewed as more of a high-upside project player heading into the draft, so the Pacers are taking the right approach with him.
One of the key focuses for Furphy will be developing his game off the ball as it is his best chance of seeing playing time on an Indiana team that is not short of playmaking options.
“That’s something I’ve had to do my whole life,” Furphy said.
“Playing with a lot of different teams, learning how to play without the ball in my hands. That’s something I feel like I do really well.
“Being able to impact the game without the ball. Playing in transition, rebounding, cutting. That’s something I can see myself doing.”
BEN SIMMONS (Brooklyn Nets)
It all comes down to this for Simmons. A contract year and potentially the season that will decide if he still has a career in the NBA.
After multiple injury setbacks and false starts, could this finally be the season when Simmons puts it all together and shows glimpses of the talent that made him a three-time All-Star?
If it is another disappointing season for Simmons, the Nets will likely just count down the days until his $40.3 million contract expires because it is hard to see any team being incentivised enough to take on his salary without a sudden turnaround in form.
Of course, on the flip side, the best case scenario for the Nets is that Simmons does start to show signs of improvement — or at least enough to increase his trade value.
Ben Simmons is on an expiring contract. Sarah Stier/Getty Images/AFPSource: AFP
The worst case scenario is that Simmons is playing poorly, stays on the roster and walks in free agency next summer.
But at least they’d be rid of his salary at that point as the Nets play towards the future.
If anything, trading Mikal Bridges should theoretically give Brooklyn the chance to feature Simmons more in the offence, if that is still a feasible plan at this stage of his career.
Should Simmons return to health and remind everyone of his potential when running the offence, maybe a team could come to the negotiating table?
PATTY MILLS (Miami Heat)
Mills is a free agent and while he would obviously welcome the chance to return to Miami, the ball is in the Heat’s court.
Although the fact Milwaukee added Delon Wright in free agency would only increase the veteran guard’s chances of scoring another contract.
If Mills is offered the chance to re-sign with Miami it would be on a one-year, veteran-minimum deal where he would be a depth piece more than anything.
DANTE EXUM (Dallas Mavericks)
With Green out of the picture, it leaves Exum with even more responsibility should Doncic or Irving go down injured as the team’s next best option at point guard.
Otherwise, Exum will remain locked into a key rotation role for the Mavericks given his energy on both ends along with his playmaking and distributing chops.
Outside of Exum, 22-year-old guard Jaden Hardy also stands to benefit from Green’s move while the Mavericks also traded for Quentin Grimes, who will help fill the void left by the Sydney native.
JOCK LANDALE (Houston Rockets)
It looks at this stage like Landale’s $8 million salary with the Rockets for next season has been fully guaranteed, although it is hard to see the Australian having a prominent role given he is now behind Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams.
Regardless, Landale’s salary could be used in a future trade alongside Houston’s growing draft capital should the Rockets decide to make a big, all-in move.
For now, Landale will be a frontcourt depth piece and may see some minutes in the rotation after proving himself down the stretch for Houston as he finished the season strong.
Landale averaged 8.8 points and 4.1 rebounds in his final two months for the Rockets after an injury to Sengun saw him take on greater responsibility in the Houston frontcourt.
MATISSE THYBULLE and DUOP REATH (Portland Trail Blazers)
Not much is expected to change for Thybulle and Reath, who will likely both settle into rotation roles off the bench for a Trail Blazers team that is still in the early stages of a rebuild.
The only real notable addition Portland made this offseason via free agency or trade was Deni Avdija while Jerami Grant and Anfernee Simons are staying put for the time being despite speculation they could be on the move.
Elsewhere, the Trail Blazers added Donovan Clingan in the draft, which specifically will make it harder for Reath to see significant minutes in a crowded big man rotation which includes Deandre Ayton and Robert Williams III.
JAYLIN GALLOWAY (Milwaukee Bucks)
Galloway is currently signed on a two-way contract for next season and will feature for Milwaukee’s G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd.
In the meantime, Galloway will be in action for the Bucks at the NBA Summer League again, where he will play alongside NBL Next Star AJ Johnson, who Milwaukee drafted in the first round this year.
AUSTRALIANS AT THE NBA SUMMER LEAGUE
The NBA’s Summer League is also already underway as rookies, second-year players and some NBL-rostered Australian talent will be looking to make an impression.
Melbourne United’s Jack White impressed enough at the Summer League back in 2022 to earn a contract with the eventual NBA champions, the Denver Nuggets.
Here are a few names to look out for at this year’s edition:
Brian Goorjian has announced his 12-man squad for the 2024 Paris Olympics, with several big-name omissions confirmed on Sunday morning.
Following Australia’s pair of warm-up games against China, Matisse Thybulle, Xavier Cooks, Chris Goulding, Dejan Vasiljevic and Jack White were all left out.
Thybulle was the biggest name left out after widely being considered one of the first names to be included in the squad, with his defence being the highlight of his game.
Get all the latest basketball news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now!
Meanwhile, Dellavedova missed out on selection in the FIBA World Cup squad last year, but has earnt a recall for his fourth Olympic campaign.
Patty Mills and Joe Ingles are featuring in their fifth Olympic tournament, while Josh Giddey, Dyson Daniels, Will Magnay and Jack McVeigh make their debuts.
Opals star Lauren Jackson will also feature in her fifth Olympic Games, headlining a squad ready to push for a medal in Paris.
Jackson, Mills and Ingles join basketball legend Andrew Gaze as the only Australians to feature in an Olympic squad five times.
Cayla George and Lauren Jackson of the Opals. Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
“Our Olympic basketball teams provide such a great energy to the wider Australian Olympic Team and bring so much joy to millions of Aussie fans back home,” Chef de Mission Anna Meares said.
“These squads have a great mix of experience and youth, with leaders, legends and the next generation combining to give all three teams a great opportunity to go deep in the Paris 2024 tournaments.
“Congratulations to all 28 athletes selected today. I want to pay special tribute to Lauren, Patty and Joe for joining Andrew Gaze as basketball greats who will compete at five Olympic Games.
“To compete at such a high level for so long is an inspiration and we are grateful to see you proudly wear the green and gold in Paris.”
Giddey, having recently been traded from the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Chicago Bulls, expleained he’s excited to represent his country.
“To make my debut in Paris is a childhood dream and I can’t wait to get on the court in front of my family and friends who have all made this journey possible for me,” Giddey said in a statement.
“To be part of the Boomers legacy, well it’s everything. We have a really great group, we know what we need to do and we are just ready to get into it.”
Brian Goorjian has reportedly made a few tough calls as the Boomers finalised their 12-man squad for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
As revealed by Code Sports on Friday, Matisse Thybulle, Xavier Cooks, Chris Goulding, Dejan Vasiljevic and Jack White were the five players cut after Australia’s two warm-up games against China.
Watch the Opals’ Olympic warm-up game against China on Friday at 7:30pm AEST, on Foxtel and Kayo via ESPN. New to Kayo? Start your free trial today >
‘He looks old’ – Patty shouldn’t start?! | 02:43
At this stage it looks like Thybulle, who was widely considered a lock for the squad, is not unavailable due to injury and instead has been left out.
Thybulle’s reported omission is easily the biggest shock given Goorjian had told ESPN when he first named Australia’s 22-man squad that the team was going to feature “Aussie ball”, which centred around “playing at tempo, at pace and downhill”.
The Portland Trail Blazers star was one of the most disruptive defenders available for selection, with the ability to create opportunities in transition and, as a result, the chance the play downhill and at pace.
Boomers legend Andrew Bogut said on the first episode of NBL Media’s ‘The Gold Standard’ podcast this morning that leaving out Thybulle was an “interesting” call.
“He’s arguably the best defender on that squad and one of the best defenders in the NBA,” Bogut said.
“I think his shooting and the ups and downs of his shooting was a concern and how I think in the last campaign I wouldn’t say he disappeared but he struggled with that when his shot wasn’t falling.”
It also means Australia will be without a key defensive-minded wing to defend the likes of Canada’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jamal Murray along with potentially Slovenia’s Luka Doncic and Greece’s Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Aussies will struggle to medal in Paris? | 03:20
JackJumpers duo Will Magnay and Jack McVeigh have both reportedly earned selection, with the former off to Paris as cover should either Jock Landale or Duop Reath suffer an injury.
McVeigh will add a much-needed shooting threat, although Chris Goulding is unlucky to miss out after going 8-for-12 from deep in the two warm-up games.
Goulding’s hot shooting streak had Andrew Gaze declaring “he’s in” for Paris in commentary on Thursday night, while John Casey described him as a “game-breaker”.
Meanwhile, having missed out on selection in the FIBA World Cup squad last year, Matthew Dellavedova is back in the green and gold, Code Sports reports.
He will be playing in his fourth Olympics while it is a fifth time for Patty Mills and Joe Ingles.
Josh Giddey, Dyson Daniels, McVeigh and Magnay are the debutants.
The 12-man squad will now travel to Abu Dhabi where they will play USA and Serbia in games scheduled for the 15th and 16th of July at 2am AEST.
The Boomers cruised to comfortable wins in two warm-up games against China but now comes the most difficult part of the week for coach Brian Goorjian.
He will be tasked with trimming Australia’s 17-man squad down to 12 players, although the process looks to have already started considering two absentees from Thursday’s game.
Here, foxsports.com.au breaks down who has already punched their ticket to Paris and the tough calls Goorjian needs to make.
Boomers vs China match wrap | 02:31
WHO ARE LOCKS?
There are seven players who will definitely be on the plane to Paris.
Starting with Josh Giddey who, regardless of what you made of his final season at Oklahoma City, is clearly the face of the Boomers both now and moving forward.
Sure, Giddey has his shortcomings on the defensive end and isn’t a reliable outside shooter just yet but Goorjian would have seen enough in last year’s FIBA World Cup to know this team is at its best when the offence is running through the 21-year-old.
Now, while Giddey’s 3-point shooting remains a glaring weakness, that is obviously not going to be a crippling issue for the Boomers like it was in Oklahoma City, where the Australian was playing more of an off-ball shooter role anyway.
For Giddey, the key is to be more aggressive in hunting mismatches as was the case in his best game of the World Cup last year against Japan, where he used his 6-foot-8 frame to his advantage to finish with 26 points, five rebounds and 11 assists.
Josh Giddey will be the starting point guard. (Photo by Graham Denholm/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Giddey will be the starting point guard. Who starts alongside him in the backcourt is up for debate, but you can also lock in Patty Mills for a spot in the 12-man squad.
That is despite a less than ideal season in the NBA where Mills struggled for minutes at Atlanta before being traded to Miami, where he saw more game time early as injuries tested the Heat’s backcourt depth.
Mills’ performances in the warm-up games have to be a cause for concern too, with the veteran going 1-for-11 from the field on Thursday night after eight scoreless minutes on two field goal attempts in Tuesday’s win.
It follows a World Cup campaign where Mills also struggled to consistently find his shot.
Still, if there is a major question mark over this Boomers team heading into Paris it is whether it has that one guy who is capable of consistently making buckets like Mills did with his 42-point heroics against Slovenia at the Tokyo Games.
Is Patty still capable of that sort of performance? Maybe not. And he definitely didn’t provide the sort of consistent shooting the Boomers needed from him at the World Cup, especially when you consider the disadvantage Australia is at on defence with Mills and Giddey sharing the backcourt.
Which is why four-time Olympian Shane Heal suggested in a column for news.com.au that Mills should start off the bench as more of a scoring spark plug.
Either way, Mills will be on the plane to Paris.
Patty Mills hasn’t found his shooting rhythm yet. (Photo by Graham Denholm/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Moving onto the frontcourt, you can add Jock Landale and Duop Reath to the list of locks for the Boomers’ 12-man squad that is off to Paris.
Landale was set to be a big part of Australia’s FIBA World Cup campaign last year before being ruled out with an ankle injury that ended up disrupting his pre-season at Houston.
He will obviously be a welcome addition with his size on the defensive end while Reath will operate as a floor-spacing big for the Boomers, having flashed his potential in an expanded role last year with Landale sidelined before going on to really emerge in the NBA for the Trail Blazers.
Reath averaged 9.1 points and 3.7 rebounds per game in his rookie season in the league, shooting 35.9 per cent from downtown and made an immediate impact in Tuesday’s warm-up game against China on both ends of the floor.
Reath will benefit from not having to shoulder so much responsibility given the Boomers didn’t have a back-up big to ease the pain of losing Landale on the eve of the World Cup.
Then you have Australia’s versatile trio of Josh Green, Dante Exum and Matisse Thybulle.
It will be interesting to see how Goorjian balances out Green and Exum’s minutes given they are right now less than a month removed from playing in the NBA Finals.
If Goorjian ends up going in the direction Heal has suggested, that would likely involve starting Exum alongside Giddey in the backcourt.
Although Exum was a real X-factor for Australia off the bench running the second unit at the FIBA World Cup.
As for Thybulle, he was one of Australia’s standouts at the Tokyo Games but was relatively quiet by his lofty standards at the World Cup.
Still, there is no doubting Thybulle’s place in the squad given his ability to impact a game on the defensive end with his length and athleticism, while the 27-year-old wing also had some hot shooting stretches at Portland.
Obviously he’s never going to be a consistent, knockdown 3-point shooter but anything Thybulle can add on that side of the ball along with his elite defence is a bonus.
WHAT ABOUT THE REST?
So, this is where things get interesting because there are only five spots left and 10 contenders to fill those spots.
Starting with Dyson Daniels, who was recently traded from the New Orleans Pelicans to the Atlanta Hawks.
Daniels got little to no playing time at last year’s World Cup and while he has another season of NBA experience under his belt, the same logic applies to why you would and wouldn’t give him more of a go this time around.
Daniels’ length and athleticism on the defensive end is obviously his biggest strength, with the Bendigo product establishing himself as one of the NBA’s best defenders.
It is why he saw relatively consistent minutes in the New Orleans’ rotation, at least before the playoffs, because the 21-year-old is otherwise too limited on the offensive side of the ball.
Dyson Daniels has room to grow. Picture: Michael KleinSource: News Corp Australia
The 3-point shooting isn’t there but the bigger concern is that Daniels still at times plays with too little confidence, not backing himself to be more aggressive and drive towards the rim to help open up his game more.
At this stage Daniels looks likely to punch his ticket to Paris on the back of his defence, but Goorjian will have to be selective with the line-up he puts around the former No. 8 overall pick given his limitations on offence.
Moving from a young emerging Boomer to a longstanding veteran, it will be particularly interesting to see where Goorjian lands on Joe Ingles, who on Thursday signed a one-year deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Ingles won’t be starting but when it comes to sorting through his potential bench options, it is ultimately a case of what qualities Goorjian is looking for.
With someone like Ingles, you are obviously getting a level of leadership and composure that comes with the 18 years of his experience he has playing in the NBA, NBL and Europe.
The 36-year-old wing also still has the competitive fire and trash-talking to win the mental battle against some of the best.
If Ingles can be solid enough on defence and make his 3-pointers when open, he is the right kind of connective piece with his shooting and playmaking to be a glue guy off the bench.
He showed that on Thursday night too, dishing out three assists in a professional third-quarter cameo that had Andrew Gaze impressed.
“There are some out there that have raised question marks… but in the last five minutes you have seen why he can be so valuable,” Gaze said in commentary.
Ingles signs one-year deal with Wolves | 00:39
Matthew Dellavedova is another veteran pushing for selection, although unlike Ingles he missed out on a spot in last year’s FIBA World Cup squad.
But Dellavedova is as scrappy as they come and after a standout season in the NBL, the 33-year-old is in the frame for a bench spot.
Dellavedova was productive off the bench in the first game, scoring three points to go with seven assists and four rebounds in just 14 minutes.
The Boomers’ offence flowed nicely with the veteran running the point, pushing the pace in transition and making the right plays — even if they weren’t flashy ones — that come with the kind of experience he has built up.
Dellavedova wouldn’t see extended minutes in Paris but Goorjian could strike the right kind of balance to get the most out of his energy and tenacity on both ends of the floor.
That then moves us to the next group — Jack McVeigh, Chris Goulding, Nick Kay, Will Magnay and Xavier Cooks.
McVeigh looked to have booked his ticket to Paris after a standout showing in the first game against China, where he went 6-for-8 from deep to finish with 24 points.
Gaze said in commentary during that game that it would be hard not to pick McVeigh.
Has Jack McVeigh secured his spot? (Photo by Graham Denholm/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“Jack McVeigh has just come in, been composed, taken what’s been given to him and been very, very crafty,” Gaze said.
This Boomers squad is full of athleticism, length and versatility but lacks a genuine sharpshooter to take advantage of the open looks those kinds of versatile playmakers can create.
Mills used to be that guy and still can be to a certain extent but McVeigh could be lightning in a bottle off the bench, plus he has the ‘chip on my shoulder’ mentality that makes him the perfect locker room presence.
The big question for Goorjian is whether he feels like he can afford to carry both McVeigh and Goulding, who made four 3-pointers in the first warm-up game against China and then exploded for just as many triples in the third quarter alone in game two.
There is an argument that the Boomers need all the scoring they can get and so Goulding and McVeigh can co-exist, especially given the way Tasmania’s Finals MVP impacted the game beyond just his 3-point shooting, also converting on a few mid-range looks as he drove towards the rim.
It is something Gaze suggested in commentary on Friday night when considering the likely core of the squad as a whole.
“I just think when you look at what this team needs — yes they are incredible athletes, yes they can get up and in and you can see the havoc they can cause on the defensive end,” Gaze said.
“Defence is the foundation but you’ve still got to be able to put the ball in the hole. When you’ve got those moments where things are breaking down… you get it to Goulding and you feel really good about it when the ball leaves his hands unlike some of the other well credentialed players on this roster.”
Boomers looking to build on bronze | 01:03
The other dilemma for Goorjian is whether he carries a third big after Australia’s lack of size was exposed at the World Cup last year without the injured Landale.
If Goorjian wants to play it safe and give himself some insurance, Will Magnay will be in the 12-man squad.
Nick Kay is another option having been a mainstay in the Boomers set-up for a number of years now, with Goorjian consistently calling on him to match up against the opposition’s best wing or big.
Kay saw significant minutes at the World Cup last year, obviously in part to Landale’s absence, but it still speaks to the confidence Goorjian has in the veteran to get the job done on both ends.
Otherwise, the alternative is mixing in the small ball line-up with Xavier Cooks at the five, as was the case at the World Cup.
Although given the fact that contributed to Australia’s early exit, perhaps Goorjian will opt to play it safe this time around to make sure the Boomers are covered and history doesn’t repeat.
Speaking of Cooks, he stood out in a big way at the World Cup last year, scoring 24 points to go with 16 rebounds in a big win against Japan.
Of course, there is only so much you can take from that game against an undersized Japan outfit that doesn’t accurately reflect what the Boomers are going to see in their group at the Olympics.
But Cooks’ defensive versatility will always have him in the conversation for selection.
Elsewhere, DJ Vasiljevic and Jack White did not see any playing time in Thursday’s game and at this stage look long shots to make the cut.
The 2024 NBA Draft has come and gone, with a number of big trades already taking place including the latest, which saw Dejounte Murray dealt to the Pelicans.
It is just the start of what should be an intriguing summer in the NBA, with the free agency window opening on Monday (Australia time) and some big names yet to make a call on their future.
Here are three of the biggest stories to follow ahead of Monday.
CLIPPERS, PAUL GEORGE STALEMATE CONTINUES
The Paul George puzzle has yet to be solved.
The Clippers, according to ESPN, “very much” want to keep the nine-time All-Star, but uncertainty looms over the organisation.
Sunday’s deadline is steadily approaching for George to decide on his $48.8 million player option.
He is seeking a four-year contract extension at his $221 million max, per ESPN, but the Clippers haven’t budged on an agreement for months.
Despite the ambiguity, the Clippers are clinging to the hope that George, 34, will want to remain near his hometown, Palmdale, where his family resides.
Pacers nab exciting Aussie with pick 35 | 01:48
After the Clippers drafted Cam Christie with the 46th pick in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft, Lawrence Frank — the Clippers president of basketball operations — took the opportunity to give George a shoutout.
“He’s been awesome. He’s been an All-Star. He’s one of the best two-way players in the league,” Frank told reporters.
“He’s a terrific person. He’s got great family, so we hope he’s here but also respect the fact that if he chooses to opt out, that’s his choice. He’s earned it and we’ll see how things play out.”
If there’s no extension prior to the deadline, George has the option to become a free agent or opt into his deal.
Even if he does decide to opt into the final year of his deal, he could attempt to negotiate a trade from the Clippers to another team.
In January, the Clippers retained one of their go-to guys, Kawhi Leonard, with a three-year $150-million extension.
Paul George’s future is up in the air. Harry How/Getty Images/AFPSource: AFP
Now they are weighing how to keep George around and James Harden — also a free agent — to complete their “Big 3.”
The organisation has engaged in talks with Harden alongside his agents, Mike Silverman and Troy Payne.
“We think James has been terrific for us,” Frank said.
“We hope he’s had a great experience while he has been here and we hope he decides to continue to be here. … We very much want James to remain a Clipper and hope he decides to do the same.”
A group of NBA teams are lining up for Klay Thompson as his free agency decision comes to a head.
League sources told The Athletic that the 76ers and Nuggets would have interest if the five-time All-Star enters the open market.
The 76ers, armed with roughly $65 million in cap space, have more than enough cash to give Thompson, 34, the money he’s seeking from Golden State.
The Nuggets have “pegged Thompson as a possible replacement” for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, who declined a player option to enter free agency this week, per the outlet.
NBA insider Marc Stein reported Saturday that the Mavericks are “exploring the feasibility” of adding Thompson after clearing cap space by dealing Tim Hardaway Jr. to the Pistons.
Klay Thompson could be on the move. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images/AFPSource: AFP
The Magic have also recently been reported as a possible destination for Thompson.
The latest Thompson rumours come as his relationship with the team appears to be souring.
Stein also wrote Saturday that signs “have frankly never pointed more strongly to” Thompson, who has spent all 13 of his NBA seasons with Golden State, winning four championships alongside Steph Curry and Draymond Green, leaving the Bay Area.
Earlier this month, Thompson unfollowed the Warriors on Instagram, deleted mention of the team from his bio on the platform and purged the majority of his Golden State-related posts dating back more than two years, signalling something may be amiss in the relationship.
On June 17, The Athletic reported that it was all but certain Thompson would test the open market for the first time in his 11 seasons.
“Klay Thompson, I’m told, is open to all external options in free agency coming up,” the outlet’s NBA insider Shams Charania said on FanDuel TV. “He intends to test free agency. We know the Warriors want him back, they offered him an extension before the start of the season. They’re going to see if there can be a deal that gets done. He’s going to be there in the marketplace, seeking offers elsewhere.”
The Warriors have two extra days to figure out what to do with Chris Paul.
Golden State and the 39-year-old guard agreed to push back the deadline for when his $30 million salary for next season — the final year of a four-year, $120 million deal inked with the Suns in August 2021 — becomes guaranteed from Saturday to Monday, according to multiple reports.
The purpose of that change, according to ESPN, revolved around helping find a potential trade partner that fits Paul, though the outlet added that there’s still a possibility the Warriors will waive him to save salary cap space.
Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. had hinted at the possibility of extending the deadline during a press conference Friday, though he didn’t consider the team’s decision on Paul — the guard who spent last season with Golden State after getting traded from the Suns to the Wizards and then the Wizards to the Warriors across four days — to reflect the “pivot point” of their offseason.
“We still have some time on that, which will take,” Dunleavy told reporters Friday, “and we’ll come to a conclusion. But in terms of pivot point, no, it doesn’t. We’ll figure it out and go from there, but I don’t think it’s gonna make a huge difference in terms of like how things shake out overall.”
The Warriors have to make a call on Chris Paul. (Photo by EZRA SHAW / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)Source: AFP
In his first year with the Warriors, Paul averaged 9.2 points and 6.8 assists per game, starting the fewest games — just 18 — of his career and settling into a complementary role alongside a struggling group that still possessed a star-filled lineup.
The Warriors, who finished No. 10 in the Western Conference, were eliminated by the Kings during their opening game of the play-in tournament, and that started an offseason filled with speculation about the futures of Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Paul.
Wiggins, according to The Ringer, will likely be “aggressively dangled,” in addition to the reality that Paul could get traded.
Those are the decisions that will shape the Warriors’ offseason, and last year, right around this time, they were the final stop for Paul after a whirlwind one-week stretch.
He was dealt by the Suns — where he had played since 2020-21 — to the Wizards in a three-team trade on June 23, and days later, Washington sent him to the Warriors in the deal that brought Jordan Poole to the Warriors.
But depending on what Dunleavy decides by Monday, it might be a one-season stint in Golden State.
Bronny James is like few other NBA Draft prospects in recent memory. Why?
Well, start by asking yourself which other projected second-round pick has had this much attention, arguably more than the potential No.1 pick, Zaccharie Risacher.
Of course, the fact there is still some level of uncertainty as to who could go first overall, combined with the lack of superstar talent at the top of this year’s class, has only further thrust the 19-year-old into the spotlight.
That is nothing new for Bronny though, being the son of one of the greatest NBA players of all time, heartlessly booed during road games for USC with Arizona State fans even chanting “overrated” after he missed a layup for the Trojans in January.
Watch Live Coverage of The 2024 NBA Draft with ESPN on Kayo Sports. Thu 9:30am / Fri 6am AEST. New to Kayo? Start Your Free Trial Today >
LeBron James shouts to his son Bronny. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“He’s just a kid trying to live out his dream,” father and Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron said on his ‘Mind the Game’ podcast with JJ Redick of the “hatred” and “animosity” towards Bronny.
“You know, there’s a very small number of men and women that actually get to live out their dream of playing a professional sport. And we have grown … men and women out here doing whatever they can to try to make sure that does not happen.
“That is the weirdest thing in the world.”
The fact Bronny is even here, still on the court and now on the verge of being drafted into the NBA, is something worth celebrating in itself after he suffered cardiac arrest and collapsed at a July workout last year.
For Bronny, his father’s name is both a blessing and a curse. But now, the 19-year-old is preparing to take the first step towards forging his own path in the NBA.
That likely starts on Friday, or potentially Thursday, as he waits for his name to be called by NBA commissioner Adam Silver in either the first or second round of this year’s draft.
Here, foxsports.com.au breaks down everything you need to know about Bronny ahead of the draft, from what NBA experts are saying about his potential to where he may land.
BACKGROUND
Bronny was a four-star recruit out of Sierra Canyon High School in Los Angeles, where he missed the majority of his sophomore season with a torn meniscus in his knee.
He really broke out as a senior, averaging 13.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.8 steals and was ranked as the No. 19 overall recruit in the 2023 recruiting class by ESPN at that point.
Bronny went on to be named McDonald’s All-American, scoring 15 points on 5-for-8 shooting from downtown with four assists in the event, while also earning selection for Team USA at the 2023 Nike Hoop Summit.
He had 11 points, four rebounds, an assist and a steal in that game, not seeing a lot of playing time in the second half but coming up clutch when he was required in the fourth quarter as he drained a key 3-pointer and forced a turnover on the other end soon after.
Bronny James talks to LeBron after the 2023 McDonald’s High School Boys All-American Game. (Photo by Alex Bierens de Haan / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)Source: AFP
Bronny considered USC before committing to play college basketball at USC, where his freshman season was interrupted after he suffered a cardiac arrest, which it was later determined was caused by a congenital heart defect.
It put Bronny’s immediate playing future in doubt, although he later returned to the court after missing the opening month of the season to make his USC debut against Long Beach State.
Bronny ended up playing every game for the rest of the season, although he only started in six of them and averaged 19.3 minutes, which ranked ninth on the team.
It resulted in the 19-year-old posting underwhelming numbers, averaging 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 0.8 steals while shooting 36.6 per cent from the field and 26.7 per cent from deep.
He also shot just 19.6 per cent on catch-and-shoot threes, according to Synergy Sports, which is particularly concerning if he is projected to be a 3-and-D guy who isn’t able to consistently create his own shot.
Of course, that shot may come at some point but again, Bronny seems like the kind of player who is a few years away from being able to have a meaningful impact in the NBA.
WHAT ARE THE EXPERTS SAYING?
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo described Bronny as an “explosive guard with strong defensive versatility” but questioned whether he has the offensive upside to contribute right away, adding he “is not a dynamic ball handler or shot-creator, lacking assertiveness at times”.
“James made strides as a senior in high school and had impressive showings in the spring all-star circuit, but he had a difficult time finding his footing at USC, especially as a scorer,” they wrote.
“His strong feel for the game, length, frame, budding shot-making prowess and competitiveness defensively give him plenty of things to work with in the long term if he can get back on the encouraging track he was on before his cardiac arrest.”
The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie, meanwhile, wrote in his very comprehensive draft guide — which is 122 pages long and available here — that Bronny is a “sharp team defender with a great feel for the game” but added that he worries the 19-year-old is “merely a good defender and not the kind of outlier great one he’d need to be to warrant being drafted on his merits”.
Vecenie’s biggest concern though surrounded Bronny’s size and how that projects for his ability to be a 3-and-D role player in today’s NBA, stressing that the Trojans guard needs to improve his shot to be a genuine threat as an off-ball player.
Bronny James could be drafted into the NBA. (Photo by David Becker / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)Source: AFP
More broadly, Vecenie wrote that Bronny would have been “much better served” spending another year playing college basketball to “get the reps he needs offensively”.
“We need to be upfront about this: We would not be talking about James as an NBA prospect if not for his father. He is nowhere near ready for the NBA,” Vecenie wrote.
“He’s at least two years away if every single thing goes right with his development in the next couple of seasons. For him to get the development he needs on the ball and to iron out his consistency as a shooter, he must spend the next two years in the G League. To me, that’s not a worthwhile investment given that his upside is something in the ballpark of a rotational 3-and-D guard. That upside is littered with potential landmines.
“I couldn’t rank him outside of the top 75 on my board because he’s young, athletic and clearly has excellent basketball IQ in addition to a great motor on the defensive end at 19. If this goes right, you can see an outcome that is similar to Devin Carter.
“Still, he is outside of the range of players whom I have two-way grades on in this class. I have an Exhibit 10 grade on Bronny and think he would have been much better served heading back to school to get the reps he needs offensively.”
An NBA general manager had similar thoughts when speaking to The Ringer in April.
“Bronny is nowhere near ready,” they said.
“He should go back to school to develop at his own pace or he risks getting lost in the shuffle, whether or not he’s playing with his dad.”
Bronny is greeted by LeBron after defeating the the Perry Pumas in the Hoophall West tournament at Footprint Center. (Photo by Christian Petersen / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)Source: AFP
WHERE COULD HE BE DRAFTED?
Well, at this stage the two most likely landing spots appear to be the Lakers (No. 17 and 55) and Suns (No. 22), if you are going off who Bronny has worked out with before the draft.
ESPN reported that sources from a half-dozen NBA teams said they had “difficulty securing workouts” with Bronny.
His agent Rich Paul has been specific about which teams Bronny has worked out with, telling ESPN it is “nothing new” for him to “find a team that values your guy and try to push him to get there”.
Paul also mentioned Dallas (No. 58), Minnesota (No. 27 and 37) and Toronto (No. 19 and 31) as other teams that have shown interest in Bronny, although the first two don’t make a lot of sense given they are both title contenders who should be drafting players that can contribute right away.
Paul also confirmed to Bleacher Report that he has made it clear Bronny will not be signing a two-way contract, which gives NBA teams the opportunity to move developmental players between the NBA and G-League.
You would think a player like Bronny would benefit from spending some time in the G-League working on his game, while ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski also flagged back in May that the prospect of the 19-year-old selling out G-League arenas would make him an attractive option for a broad range of teams.
Gaze: Bulls a ‘better fit’ for Giddey | 00:59
“Bronny James is going to have an impact for organisations not just on the basketball side but potentially on the business side,” Wojnarowski said on ‘NBA Today’ at the time.
“He’s almost assuredly going to start in the G-league; he will pack G-league Arenas, merchandising all of those make him an attractive player whether it’s late first round or second round.”
Of course, two months have passed since that point and with the way James performed at the NBA Draft Combine and then his Pro Day it is understandable that some teams may have changed their opinion on Bronny’s ability to produce in the NBA right away.
But ruling out a two-way contract does limit the amount of teams that would be likely open to drafting Bronny, with ESPN’s Brian Windhorst describing Paul’s comments in the lead-up to the Draft as “very interesting”.
“The fact that he’s turned down some workouts, which you don’t normally see from a second-round pick and also that he has very much made public that he’s not going to sign a two-way deal, that does indicate in a normal setting that a player is turning off some teams, closing the door on some teams,” Windhorst said.
“I will say this though, when it comes to Bronny we are in a unique situation where we cannot compare him to other situations.”
That is very true, especially when you consider the suggestions some teams could draft Bronny as a way of then giving themselves leverage in a potential play at LeBron in free agency.
LeBron looks on from the stands towards Bronny during the first half against the Long Beach State 49ers. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Although recently, most NBA insiders seem to be leaning towards that no longer being at the top of mind for both LeBron and teams who may consider drafting Bronny.
That is consistent with comments from LeBron himself, who has indicated playing with Bronny isn’t the priority it once was for him.
With that being said, if Bronny is still available at 55th overall you would have to think the Lakers are locked in to take him given the message it would send LeBron if they didn’t.
Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman, for example, has Bronny going to the Lakers in his most recent mock draft, where he wrote:
“Rival teams sound uncertain about Bronny James’ chances of getting drafted, though the Los Angeles Lakers remain the popular guess as to his most likely destination. If he’s still on the board deep into the second round, L.A.’s front office could feel pressure to select him, considering it’s essentially a risk-free pick that late, and passing at No. 55 would signal to LeBron how little the team thinks of Bronny.”
Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus, meanwhile, reported earlier this month that the Lakers are “widely expected to draft Bronny either with one of their own two picks (No.17 or 55) or by trading up in the second round.”
Wojnarowski, however, reported the Lakers “are not considering” Bronny with their first-round pick, which makes sense given the team has other needs to address and can’t afford a luxury pick like Bronny at that price.
When Ash Arnott first laid eyes on Johnny Furphy, the then-14-year-old looked more likely to have a future as the frontman for Australian indie rock band Ocean Alley than as a player in the NBA.
“A little surfer boy,” as Arnott described it to foxsports.com.au, with the blonde hair to match.
Although Arnott, now assistant coach of the men’s program at Basketball Australia’s Centre of Excellence (CoE), saw more than just those long locks.
He saw a light frame but one with plenty of room to grow, knowing Johnny’s brother Joe had started out at a similar height before growing five or six inches one summer.
He also noticed the way Furphy moved. It was and still is “different”, as Robbie McKinlay, the head coach at the CoE, put it.
Watch Live Coverage of The 2024 NBA Draft with ESPN on Kayo Sports. Thu 9:30am / Fri 6am AEST. New to Kayo? Start Your Free Trial Today >
Johnny Furphy playing junior basketball for Collingwood. Picture: SuppliedSource: Supplied
“The way I sort of describe it is he kind of glides,” McKinlay told foxsports.com.au.
All of this is to say that Arnott saw something in Furphy. He wasn’t entirely sure where it would take him or what he would become, but he always knew this kid “had a chance”.
A chance to play college basketball for the Kansas Jayhawks and then go declare for the NBA Draft after his freshman year?
“I’d be lying. I can’t predict that,” Arnott said.
“But my job back then was to try and identify players to see who could maybe take the next step and be a pro. That’s the idea through Basketball Victoria and Basketball Australia, to identify kids that you think can go on and be professional basketballers, and knowing that he was going to be tall and a long athlete, I always had that belief that this kid could be good.
“He’s gone way past what my beliefs were when I saw him.”
Which says a lot given how much Arnott believed in Furphy, not just in that first time he saw him back in 2018 but throughout his time at the CoE, where he and other staff would tell Furphy “you are where you’re supposed to be”.
Furphy wasn’t supposed to be here, preparing to attend Thursday’s first round of the draft in the green room, where the top prospects in each year’s class wait to hear their name called.
Furphy could be drafted in the first round. Chris Gardner/Getty Images/AFPSource: AFP
Last year, 24 of the 25 players invited to the green room were selected in the opening round, with ESPN reporting Furphy is drawing “strong interest” from as high as Memphis at ninth overall.
Just over a year ago the prospect of Furphy declaring for the draft, let alone going in the first round, was the furthest thing from his mind.
In fact, the prospect of even playing college basketball wasn’t really on his radar. He had just one college scholarship offer and was already planning on spending another year at the CoE.
So, how did Furphy go from a relative unknown to a potential lottery pick in this week’s draft?
It all starts in the unlikeliest of places.
Well, if you asked Arnott he would probably push back on describing it as unlikely. Because, as he pointed out, “this is the small world” of Australian basketball after all.
‘WHO’S THAT KID?’: HOW FURPHY WENT FROM UNKNOWN TO ON THE RISE
The story of Furphy’s rise starts, not on a basketball court, but at the AUSVEG Convention in Adelaide.
Arnott’s parents were vegetable farmers and Richard Furphy, Johnny’s father, was at the Convention as part of his work. They also happened to be seated at the same table.
So, they got to talking and naturally, as is the case with all parents, the topic of their kids eventually came up.
It turned out Joe, the Furphy’s eldest son, was also a talented basketball player and the family were trying to get him to college. It also turned out Ash Arnott wasn’t a new name for them.
Arnott was an assistant coach with the Basketball Victoria State Development Program at the time and, being the “small world of basketball” as he would say, they already knew of him.
So, Arnott agreed to catch up with Joe and Richard one day at a cafe near Waverley Park, where the Hawthorn Hawks train, and also began the process of reaching out to some colleges.
Then he learned about Johnny.
Johnny and brother Joe while playing Big V basketball. Picture: SuppliedSource: Supplied
“So I made an effort to go out and watch him,” Arnott said.
“Straight away I was saying to Richard, ‘Mate I love his frame’, you can see he’s the baby of the family and the way he moves you can see he’s skilled but he was just so lightly built.”
Still, again, Arnott saw something in Furphy. So, he talked to Michael Czepil, Basketball Victoria’s Metropolitan High Performance Coach, convinced there was a “hooper there”.
Furphy made Southern Cross Challenge teams, would regularly be picked for the State Development Program and was part of the Under 18 state team as an emergency player.
But it wasn’t until 2022 that he made his first state team and even still, it was as part of the second team at the Under 20 National Championships up in Mackay.
That happened to be the first time McKinlay, head coach at the CoE, saw Furphy and he also liked what he was seeing.
“Hey mate, do you know Johnny Furphy?,” he asked Arnott around halfway into his first game.
“Yes I do. I know him very, very well,” Arnott replied, adding: “You like him, don’t you?”
Intriguing was the word McKinlay used, according to Arnott.
Marty Clarke, technical director at the NBA’s Global Academy, also got his first look at Furphy in Mackay.
“I just said, ‘Who’s that kid? I hadn’t seen or heard of him’, and I know most of the guys around that level because generally you’ve seen them at 16s and you’ve seen them at 18,” Clarke told foxsports.com.au.
“He just looked different. He ran up and down the floor effortlessly, and that was the first thing I would have said, ‘Oh, that guy runs really well’. And then he shot it and the shot looked nice.
“He played really hard, attacked the rim off the dribble, attacked the rim on rebounding. He tried to play defence, and I was like, ‘Oh this kid is pretty good, who is he?’.”
Furphy impressed enough to score a scholarship at the Centre of Excellence. Picture: SuppliedSource: Supplied
There were some things Furphy had to work on. His handle “wasn’t great” while he “didn’t go side to side all that well” either.
“But they were all things you can work on,” Clarke added, and the way Furphy handled himself on the court suggested he was a kid that was ready to learn too.
His high “wasn’t too high” and his low “wasn’t too low”, as Clarke put it, while McKinlay said Furphy was “steady the whole time”.
“And that’s when the whole entire staff started to get this interest in Johnny,” Arnott added.
From there, Furphy was invited to play in the NBL1 Wildcard series in Perth as part of a CoE squad which included Alex Toohey, Ben Henshall, Alex Condon and Tyrese Proctor.
“If you saw him in his first couple of games there to where he is now you just would laugh,” Arnott said, thinking back to the moment Furphy first joined the team for breakfast in Western Australia and was asking him if he could get a coffee.
“Because none of our kids would ever do that,” Arnott laughed.
“They were still drinking hot chocolates and just getting their bacon and eggs and I was like, ‘coffee Robbie’ and just jokingly said, ‘coffee Johnny’ and he goes, ‘Yeah mate can I get a latte please’.
“And I look back at Robbie like, ‘Oh my God’, because that was just the type of kid he was. He beat his own drum, he was comfortable in his own skin and not in a bad way.”
Because as Arnott got to know this “skinny little kid from Clifton Hill” more and got to “peel the layers back”, he found out a morning coffee wasn’t just a morning coffee for Furphy.
It was “something special for him”, something he and his dad Richard would always share at the Victorian markets. Just one, small glimpse into the person behind the player.
The player that scored 12 points in his first game at the Wildcard series to go with just as many rebounds and five steals in a 46-point win against the Rockingham Flames.
Halfway through that game, McKinlay was already convinced.
Boomers start Olympics selection camp | 01:18
“This is a kid we need to bring into the CoE,” he said, and it was a process made easier by the fact Proctor was leaving the program for Duke, opening up a scholarship for Furphy.
Although Furphy’s move to Canberra was far from straight-forward, starting with the fact he was halfway through Year 12 and as a result had to finish his final year of high school online.
Then there were the shin splints which, while not serious, did “sort of restrict what he could do straight away” according to McKinlay.
And you can add in a broken wrist too, which Furphy suffered in a March 2023 game while playing in the CoE’s 110-37 win over the Penrith Panthers in the NBL1 East.
But in between those setbacks, Furphy was starting to show signs and playing high-level basketball along the way, first during a joint trip with the NBA Global Academy to Spain in October 2022 and then in January the following year at the North East Prep School Invitational in Providence, where he was named to the All-Tournament Team.
Still, at that point he only had one college scholarship offer from Sacramento State. By the end of July that had all changed after Furphy turned heads at the NBA Academy Games.
Suddenly he was one of the most sought-after recruits in college basketball, with around 30 high major offers from programs including Kansas, Gonzaga, Providence and North Carolina according to McKinlay.
“That first game Robbie and I kind of looked at each other,” Arnott said, “and we were like, ‘This is the coming out party. This is the Johnny that we were waiting for’.”
THE WAKE-UP CALL AND ‘F-U’ DUNK IN FURPHY’S ‘COMING OUT PARTY’
Although at one point during a game against NBA Academy Select Red, the Johnny they had been waiting for had gone missing again.
“We were sort of just running up and down,” McKinlay said.
Going through the motions. So, he called a timeout and pulled Furphy to the side.
“And I said, ‘Hey Johnny, you’re wasting my time, you’re wasting all the college coaches’ time, you’re wasting your time. What’s going on?”.
McKinlay knew how important a tournament like this could be for Furphy’s career. How important it had already been for Alex Toohey, who committed to Gonzaga but ended up playing in the NBL as part of its Next Stars program after breaking out at the Academy Games the year prior.
It is why he got on a call with Furphy and his parents before the trip to Atlanta, telling them: “Listen. These Academy Games, this thing’s going to blow up in a good way”.
“Now, to the level it did, I didn’t forecast that,” McKinlay added.
Gaze: Bulls a ‘better fit’ for Giddey | 00:59
But he knew there was at least the opportunity for Furphy to make a name for himself, especially with multiple high-major coaches and NBA scouts watching on.
Furphy assured McKinlay that he was fine, telling his coach: “Nah, I’m good”.
“OK. Well, do something,” replied McKinlay.
He did something alright. A play or two later, Furphy got the ball on the left baseline and ripped it to the middle for a monster dunk that brought the entire CoE bench to its feet.
The opposing coach called a timeout and McKinlay grabbed Furphy once more.
“That was an F-U dunk, wasn’t it?” he said, to which Furphy innocently replied: “What do you mean by that?”.
“Well,” McKinlay responded, “I got on you and you were sort of just saying, ‘Hey go sit down and shut the you know what up’.”
“No it wasn’t that,” Furphy told his coach, with a “little cheeky smile” as he went to the bench.
It was one of many highlight plays Furphy had in the tournament, including another big dunk against one of the African NBA Academy teams, as he went on to average 14.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.8 steals a game to start what Clarke described as a “meteoric rise”.
“He exploded at that tournament,” added Shawn King, who coached Furphy in the Under 18s at Hawthorn and then in 2022 when he played for Melbourne University in the Big V.
“I always thought he would be like a D1 player. But he kind of just took it to a whole other level.
“You could see glimpses of the NBA. I thought he could be an NBA kid. But obviously I didn’t think it would happen this quick.”
Arnott, meanwhile, said Furphy’s success at the tournament and the interest that followed gave rise to a “new Johnny”.
“He had this swagger about him,” the CoE assistant coach said.
“He knew that he was at the level and he was ready for this next step in his career and you see the last couple of games he played with the CoE in the [NBL1] East. He was dominant.”
Furphy was just as impressive at the Sportradar Showdown in Las Vegas later that month and with interest quickly skyrocketing, then came another sit-down with his parents and McKinlay. Because as much as he had planned to stay at the CoE for another year, McKinlay was right. It had blown up in a good way.
Fortunately, McKinlay had the expertise of Clarke and others at the NBA Academy, including Greg Colucci and Brian Cardinal, to lean on as they mapped out Furphy’s next steps.
“He was going to stay (at the CoE) an extra 12 months,” McKinlay said.
“We just sort of sat down and said, ‘Why would you want to stay now when you’ve got these schools that want you now’.
“The one luxury he did have was because it was so late in the piece most of the rosters were set and so I said, ‘You’re going in to fill a need… you may commit and stay for an extra 12 months, but that roster with the transfer portal could be a completely new roster’.
“The family decided they wanted to head off straight away and it happened at light speed. And next thing you know, he was at the University of Kansas.”
THE MOMENT FURPHY PROVED HE WAS READY FOR COLLEGE BASKETBALL
As fast as it all happened, Furphy still had plenty of catching up to do when he arrived in Kansas, having missed summer workouts and the Jayhawks’ exhibition game against the Bahamas National Team.
It was always going to take time for him to adjust to the physicality and speed of college basketball and the fact he arrived not as prepared as the other freshmen on the roster, through no fault of his own, only should have made it even harder for Furphy to earn playing time.
The emphasis there being on should have, because if there is anything to take away from Furphy’s rapid rise, it is the fact that he continued to exceed expectations.
“What Johnny did is he got himself right physically,” McKinlay said.
“He jumped straight into the playbook. I know they’ve got over 100 plays in that playbook. He made sure he didn’t give the coaching staff a reason to not play him and I thought he did a good job with that.”
Furphy quickly learned the playbook. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Furphy started out the season as a rotation option for Kansas coach Bill Self off the bench but ended up starting 19 of 33 games as a freshman, finishing 14 of them in double figures.
His shooting efficiency dipped down the stretch as he was forced into a more prominent role, which in turn led to more attention for the Australian from the opposition.
But as a whole Furphy was highly productive once given a starting role, going 12-for-22 from downtown during one four-game stretch of the season as he rocketed up draft boards.
For King, Furphy’s former coach at Hawthorn and Melbourne University, his breakout season with the Jayhawks wasn’t a surprise.
“Once he feels comfortable in his situation he gets better and better and I think you saw that at Kansas this year where he didn’t quite have the rhythm and then all of a sudden he found it and he’s like, ‘I can do this’ and then he was playing at a different level,” King said.
McKinlay, meanwhile, actually got to meet up with Furphy in early December and watch him play 14 minutes off the bench in Kansas’ 69-65 win over UConn.
“He hit two big threes in that game in that environment,” McKinlay said.
“And it was like, ‘OK. If this doesn’t rattle you here in this one, then you’re fine’.”
McKinlay also got to watch one practice session where he said Furphy, still only relatively new to the team, was already “telling some of the older guys where they needed to be”.
Furphy had a prominent role in his freshman season. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“I was like, ‘OK. He’s fine. He’s ready to go’. The big environment didn’t bother him,” McKinlay added.
“He’s got a self-confidence that, it’s hard to crack that thing. He’s got a belief in himself and his ability.”
A belief that meant when McKinlay was once talking to his dad Richard, who asked Johnny if he thought he was going to make the NBA, the 19-year-old was quick to reply.
“Yeah absolutely,” McKinlay said, recalling that conversation early in Furphy’s time at Kansas.
“That sort of surprised his dad a little bit, that he had that confidence. He definitely showed that in the second half of the season for Kansas.”
McKinlay had a lot of scouts reach out to him about Furphy and he told them all the same thing: the ball doesn’t stick with Johnny.
“His quick decision-making is going to help him in the NBA,” McKinlay said.
“I think NBA players are going to enjoy playing with him because they know if he doesn’t have his shot then he’s going to move that thing on quick or he’s going to cut to the right space or whatever it is.
“He’s just got to continue to work, get stronger physically, so when he does drive the ball he doesn’t get bumped off his line. I think once he gets that down then, he’s going to be one hell of a player.”
Furphy is rocketing up draft boards. (Photo by Jay Biggerstaff/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo have Furphy going to the Magic at 18th overall in their latest mock draft, adding he is receiving “strong interest, starting with Memphis at No. 9, extending throughout the teens and ending with Cleveland at No. 20”.
Sam Vecenie of The Athletic also has mocked Furphy to Orlando, while The Ringer has him at No.24 to the Knicks, CBS Sports has him at No.20 to Cleveland and it is No.27 to Minnesota for Bleacher Report.
Either way, most experts seem to agree that Furphy, while raw, has the right combination of size, shooting and athleticism that makes him an intriguing upside swing in this year’s draft.
But as the bright lights of the NBA await, Furphy still hasn’t forgotten where he came from.
Which is why when he and his family received an invite to the green room, Furphy had two more familiar faces he wanted to be alongside when his name was called.
REFLECTING ON HOW FAR FURPHY HAS COME… AND HOW FAR HE WILL GO
McKinlay was “speechless” when, “completely out of the blue”, he got a text message from Furphy inviting him to the draft, which will be held at Barclays Center in New York.
He didn’t just invite him though. Furphy also offered to pay to bring McKinlay over too.
“That’s something that I didn’t expect but it just speaks volume to him as an individual, how he was brought up in his family,” McKinlay said.
“He’s just a phenomenal kid… he knows where he’s come from and people that have played a small part in it.”
King received the same offer, as did Arnott. Unfortunately he’s in Turkey as assistant coach of the Crocs squad representing Australia in the FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup and can’t make it.
Three of Furphy’s former CoE teammates from the Academy Games — Dash Daniels, Nash Walker and Sa Pilimai — are part of that Crocs squad and even from afar, and at 3am local time when the draft will start in Istanbul, Arnott will be watching.
Watching and then thinking about just how far that “little surfer boy” has come and how far he has to go, still only 19 years old and hopefully with a long NBA career ahead of him.
But as much as Johnny Furphy’s story is about how much things have changed over the past two years, it is also just as much about what has stayed the same.
Because in many ways he is still that little surfer boy who didn’t make a state team until 2022 and yet “never said one negative word” according to Arnott, choosing grace and gratitude — thankful to even have the opportunity to try out.
Furphy was always thankful for opportunities.Source: FOX SPORTS
“A big part of that is just hanging in there,” Clarke, the technical director at the NBA Global Academy, said.
“If you hang in there and do the work and keep believing, there’s a chance you’re going to get where you want to get to. If you get all disappointed early on because you don’t make a team or you don’t get as many shots as you want to get or you’re not playing as much, then you give yourself no chance, absolutely no chance.
“I think the thing for Johnny is he just hung in there, hung in there long enough until he was ready and an opportunity came along and then he made the most of his opportunity.”
There are many lessons to be learned from Furphy’s success but that in particular, the ability to stick it out and keep showing up, is the part Arnott holds onto as he ushers in the next generation of Australian basketball talent in his role as assistant coach at the CoE.
“Not getting too high and not getting too low, but continuing to work and showing up, that was one of his greatest assets,” Arnott said.
“A lot of these new athletes coming through want everything now and I understand, you want every opportunity that comes your way, but the most important skill these days is to be able to turn up every day and be available and work on your game and that’s something that I think sometimes gets missed.
“Everyone wants to talk about Johnny’s athleticism, his skill. The skill part came from his ability to work on his game constantly.”
Connected to that is the fact everyone has their own pathway. Furphy took the college route. Dyson Daniels went through G-League Ignite. Josh Giddey was an NBL Next Star.
They all went on different journeys and yet it led to the same place. It started in the same place too, in the same locker rooms where McKinlay said the next Johnny Furphy may be sitting right now.
“What we tried to let the kids know is [that] Johnny was here 12 months ago,” he said.
“He was in this locker room sitting where you guys are. So while we sometimes think the NBA is so far away, in actual fact, it might be 12 months away, so you better get yourself ready now for what may come.
“Just because you didn’t make that first team you thought you should have made, if you keep working then good things can definitely happen. Johnny is the poster boy for that right now and there’ll be another Johnny Furphy, who knows when?”
But even if there is another player like Johnny Furphy, there won’t be another Johnny Furphy the person. McKinlay said he doesn’t know anyone who doesn’t like him.
In fact, Furphy was his son’s favourite player during his time at the CoE. McKinlay isn’t sure why his son, who was five years old at the time, gravitated towards Furphy in particular.
But every time McKinlay talked to his son on the phone after a game, he always asked the same question: Where’s Johnny?
Furphy is reaching new heights. Jay Biggerstaff/Getty Images/AFPSource: AFP
There were plenty of other great players on the roster at the time, including Toohey, Condon and Henshall, who were part of a 2004 age group that McKinlay described as “special”.
“I think there’s a lot of future Boomers in that crop of 2004 players,” he added.
Furphy was included in the Boomers’ extended squad for the upcoming Paris Olympics before being cut when a revised squad was later announced, although the fact he was in the mix in the first place speaks to just how highly-regarded the 19-year-old already is.
Again, remember this was a kid who didn’t make his first state team until the Under 20s and even still, it was with the B team.
This was also a kid who, after being told by Arnott early at the Academy Games that a high major Division I school had interest in him, couldn’t hide his excitement.
Because if there is one thing Arnott will take away from his time with Furphy, it is joy.
“To see the smile on his face,” Arnott said, “and [him] being like, ‘No way. Oh my God’, and just to remember that he was still an 18-year-old kid.
“To see that pure joy in him and then once he’d really taken off and started playing this great style of basketball, sitting back and just being like, ‘This kid is going to be special’.”
And while Arnott won’t have be there in person on Thursday, instead sitting in a hotel room in Instanbul over 8,000 kilometres away, he had a first-hand look at all the key moments leading up to it.
“I guess just having a front row seat to it, not necessarily being a part of it, but just having a front row seat to how special he was becoming, I think that’s the best memory,” Arnott said.
“And I’m most thankful for just being a part of it, having that front row seat. Nothing better than that.”
So, which team will take Furphy? Catch live coverage of the 2024 NBA Draft with ESPN on Kayo Sports. Thu 9:30am / Fri 6am AEST. New to Kayo? Start Your Free Trial Today >
