Arne Slot made the perfect start to his Liverpool reign with a 2-0 win at Ipswich, while Arsenal dispatched Wolves 2-0 to begin their Premier League title challenge in style on Saturday.
Newcastle defied an early red card for Fabian Schar to edge past Southampton 1-0, while Brighton ran riot under new manager Fabian Hurzeler in a 3-0 victory at Everton.
Aston Villa spoiled Julen Lopetegui’s first game in charge of West Ham with a 2-1 win at the London Stadium.
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Slot has huge shoes to fill at Anfield after the departure of Jurgen Klopp, who restored the Reds to the top of the English game.
The Dutchman was left less than impressed by his side’s first 45 minutes at Portman Road as Ipswich flew out of the traps on their return to the Premier League for the first time in 22 years.
However, Liverpool were a different side after the break as goals from Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah barely reflected their dominance to get Slot off to the perfect start.
“We as a team made a big change at halftime because we came out totally different to how we had come out in the first half,” said the former Feyenoord boss.
“Second half, we won more duels, we won more second balls and we played more balls in behind because if the other team takes the risk of playing one-v-one and you have the likes of Luis Diaz, Mo Salah and Diogo Jota then use them, play the balls in behind.”
Arsenal have finished second to Manchester City in each of the past two seasons and are highly-fancied to be the champions’ closest challengers again.
Kai Havertz opened the scoring at the Emirates from Bukayo Saka’s cross to reward the Gunners’ early dominance.
However, Mikel Arteta’s men needed a vital save from David Raya to deny Jorgen Strand Larsen and Matheus Cunha missed a huge chance to level before Arsenal made the points safe.
The roles from the first goal were reversed as this time Havertz teed up Saka to lash home.
“We generated a lot. We probably we should have scored two or three in the first half. Second half we became a bit sloppy, then the game was a bit more open. But Bukayo had an unbelievable action to score the second,” Arteta said.
Bukayo Saka of Arsenal. Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
Newcastle’s hopes of a winning start to the season looked to have been undone when Schar was sent off after just 28 minutes for what the referee deemed a headbutt on Ben Brereton Diaz despite limited contact between the pair.
Southampton had dominated even the early exchanges against the Magpies’ full compliment but failed to convert from 19 shots and nearly 80 per cent possession.
By contrast, Newcastle were clinical as Alexander Isak teed up Joelinton for the only goal just before halftime.
Everton’s final season at Goodison Park got off to a nightmare start as 31-year-old Hurzeler enjoyed a dream start to life in the Premier League.
Kaoru Mitoma fired Brighton in front on his return from injury that saw the Japanese international miss much of last season.
Danny Welbeck added a second after the break and Everton were reduced to 10 men when Ashley Young saw red before Simon Adingra made it 3-0 late on.
Antoine Semenyo stepped into the void left at Bournemouth by the departure of Dominic Solanke with a late equaliser to salvage a 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest.
In East London, former Wolves boss Lopetegui suffered a disappointing return to the Premier League.
Villa, who finished fourth last season, took the lead through Amadou Onana’s fourth minute goal.
Although Lucas Paqueta equalised with a 37th minute penalty, Jhon Duran stole the points with a clinical finish in the 79th minute.
City begin their defence of the title in the standout fixture of the weekend at Chelsea on Sunday.
Manchester United got their campaign off to a winning start on Friday when debutant Joshua Zirkzee came off the bench to grab a late winner in a 1-0 victory over Fulham.
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.
Here, foxsports.com.au looks at some of the key talking points to come out of the opening round, including a few steals and where Furphy could land on day two.
WHAT HAPPENED TO AUSSIE JOHNNY FURPHY… AND WHAT COMES NEXT?
It is always the case that some projected first-round picks end up missing out on selection and Furphy was one of the unlucky few, with the Victorian instead expected to have his name called early in the second round.
In terms of looking at why Furphy may have fallen, it was always going to be tricky to project where this year’s first-round prospects would be taken given the varying opinions on them.
Furphy was routinely mocked to Orlando at 18th overall, although the Magic’s eventual pick — Colorado wing Tristan da Silva — made plenty of sense for a number of reasons.
Firstly, while Orlando still has a young core, this is a team that is already competitive in the Eastern Conference and a late bloomer like da Silva is more likely to produce right away.
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Johnny Furphy will have to wait a little bit longer. Chris Gardner/Getty Images/AFPSource: AFP
Then of course there is the fact the Magic clearly value big wings with a well-rounded skillset and da Silva fits that bill, while it of course is also handy he shot 40 per cent from deep in his last year with Colorado.
From that point there were a few other teams that made sense for Furphy, although there were also a bunch of contenders drafting later in the first round and given the Australian is still an incredibly raw player he may have just not been the right fit at this stage of his career.
The good news for Furphy is he should not have to wait long to have his name called.
The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie said on his ‘Game Theory Podcast’ that he is going to mock Furphy to the Toronto Raptors with the first pick of the second round and if he doesn’t go then, the Utah Jazz at 32nd overall also make plenty of sense.
ESPN.com’s latest mock draft has Furphy now going 33rd overall to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Meanwhile, don’t be surprised if another team currently not on the board near the top of round two trades up to snag Furphy, shocked that he is still available.
“Even if you don’t believe in Furphy to the same degree as my projections, which had him fifth overall, he was the best available player in the top 100 from [Jonathan] Givony and [Jeremy] Woo for a long time,” added ESPN’s Kevin Pelton.
While it was unfortunate that Furphy was made to wait only to not have his name called, the 19-year-old only made his first state team in 2022 and even then, that was as part of the second team.
Speaking to former coaches and mentors of his in the lead-up to the draft, they all constantly stressed one thing — Furphy was never the type to complain, always grateful for every opportunity.
The early setbacks and Furphy’s attitude towards them have perfectly set him up for this moment and considering he wasn’t even expecting to have played college basketball last season, the 19-year-old is already ahead of schedule anyway.
With that in mind, while obviously disappointing, Furphy’s background means missing out on first-round selection isn’t necessarily the hit to his confidence that it would be for others.
If anything, it only adds another layer to his remarkable rise, should Furphy continue to exceed expectations.
WHICH TEAMS GOT THE BIGGEST STEALS?
You have to start with the Lakers, who landed an absolute steal at 17th overall when they drafted Tennessee wing Dalton Knecht.
The 23-year-old was the seventh overall player on ESPN’s big board but fell down the draft, much to the surprise of Jonathan Givony, who said he was “shocked” Knecht was still available.
The ESPN draft expert reported sources had been telling him Knecht’s age was the reason for his slide.
“I am shocked that Dalton Knecht is still on the board here,” Givony said
“For the last 30 minutes, I’ve been racking my brain, texting every GM, saying ‘What is going on? Why is Dalton Knecht falling?’
“They say, ‘There is no medical concern. It’s strictly because of the age. We are going with teenagers here.’
“I really do not understand this. Dalton Knecht is a first-team All-American, SEC Player of the Year, shot 40 percent from three. He can help an NBA team right now. He needs to come off the board in the next pick or two at worst.”
That ended up happening, with the Lakers taking the 6-foot-6 sharpshooter who averaged 21.7 points in his only season with the Volunteers after shooting 49.9 per cent from the field and 39.7 per cent from 3.
Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka described the value as “extraordinary” when speaking to reporters after the draft, while also revealing that new head coach J.J. Redick, who shares similar traits with Knecht, already has ideas on how to get him involved in the gameplan.
“We would have never imagined a player as skilled and sort of perfect for our needs would be there as Dalton Knecht,” Pelinka said.
“We had him as a top 10 player unanimously across our scouting reports. Across the board, just couldn’t be happier. I was at the SCC tournament scouting him extensively and in my mind I was like, ‘There is no way a player like this will be available for us to pick on draft night’.
“I was joking with coach Redick upstairs that we found a movement shooter to match his skills as a player and he already had his whiteboard out drawing up pindowns and ATOs and actions where he could run a movement shooter off screens. So, I think his mind is already working on drawing up plays for Dalton.
“If we would have had the 10th pick in the draft, we would have taken him, so to get that value at 17 is really extraordinary.”
Dalton Knecht is a Laker. Sarah Stier/Getty Images/AFPSource: AFP
Meanwhile, for Knecht, the fact he fell down the draft board is just another reason for the 23-year-old to continue carrying the “chip on my shoulder” that he developed in his three-school journey to the NBA.
“I’d say my why is I feel like I’ve been underrated my whole entire life ever since I was coming out of high school,” he said.
“I’ve always had a chip on my shoulder, and to this day I’ll always have that chip on my shoulder to go out there and prove people wrong.
“… Every single time I touch a basketball or walk into a gym, I always feel like I’ve got something to prove.
“It doesn’t matter where I’m at. It’s always going to be there, having that chip on my shoulder, feeling like I’ve been underrated for my whole life. It’s something I’m going to carry with me the rest of my career.”
Elsewhere, the Chicago Bulls were another team to pick up value in the first round as they landed Matas Buzelis, ESPN’s No.5 ranked prospect.
Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas said in his post-draft press conference that “did not plan” to draft Buzelis, who was not expected to be available when Chicago was picking at 11th overall.
Matas Buzelis was emotional. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“It just worked out that way,” Karnišovas said.
“But we’re very excited to add him to our young group. He’s a very versatile wing swing. We watched him all year.”
The 19-year-old profiles as a versatile piece to add to a Chicago team that is heading towards a rebuild of sorts, having taken the first step in that direction with the trade for Josh Giddey last week.
Then there is the Utah Jazz, who had a need in the backcourt and drafted their potential point guard of the future in Isaiah Collier.
The USC point guard was generating No.1 buzz late last year but had issues with turnovers and his shooting that saw him fall down draft boards, although at the 29th pick he is more than worth the swing given his high upside if he tidies up those other aspects of his game.
It is also worth mentioning the Portland Trail Blazers here as Donovan Clingan was at one point earlier in the week considered a chance of even going with the first overall pick.
Instead, he dropped to No.7, which was seen as his absolute floor in this year’s draft, as the Blazers picked up the best rim-protector in this year’s class.
TIMBERWOLVES TRADE SETS UP ‘HOLY S***’ COMBO
Well, this is going to be a lot of fun and Rob Dillingham is clearly a player the Timberwolves wanted, making the most aggressive move of the draft by trading up to No.8 to get him.
It is clearly a move for the future, with Mike Conley already 36 years old and in Dillingham Minnesota has a potential successor for the veteran point guard.
He profiles as a great fit as an off-ball shooter next to the franchise superstar Anthony Edwards, having shot 44 per cent from deep in his final season at Kentucky, while he also has plenty of potential as a passer.
Speaking to reporters after the draft, Dillingham said he is excited by the prospect of playing in “the open space on the floor” that the NBA offers.
Rob Dillingham is an exciting prospect. Sarah Stier/Getty Images/AFPSource: AFP
“There’s so much open floor, and I feel like I’m quick and I can get past dudes,” he added.
“It’s really the fact of me getting past dudes and making decisions. You’re playing with a bunch of NBA players, so players can’t really help off super a lot because these are NBA players and they knock down shots.
“I feel like, for me, getting past my defender and making plays with my teammates will be way easier, and if they don’t help, it’s just a bucket.”
The obvious concern in Dillingham’s game is his defence, with the 19-year-old standing at just 6-foot-1, although the Timberwolves as a roster are uniquely built to help hide that weakness in his game, especially when sharing the floor with Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert.
THE ONE PICK FEW EXPERTS CAN AGREE ON
Well, Zach Edey was the most polarising draft prospect before Wednesday night and that was made even more clear by the reaction to Memphis’ pick in the first round.
The Grizzlies had a glaring need in the frontcourt after trading away Steven Adams and reportedly had shown interest in trading up to draft Donovan Clingan.
They weren’t able to pull that off so they ended up taking the next best option in Edey, who at 7-foot-4 and 300 pounds made a name for himself in college basketball at Purdue.
There were question marks about his mobility and how his game would translate to the NBA though and opinions were split across the board when it came to Memphis taking him at No.9.
Yahoo Sports’ draft expert Krysten Peek described it as “one of the worst picks I’ve seen in draft history”.
ESPN analyst and former Golden State Warriors manager, Bob Myers, called it the “most surprising pick” of the draft at the time.
In saying that, he did think Edey would be a good fit alongside Jaren Jackson Jr. and while Peek wasn’t a fan, there were plenty of other experts who saw the logic in the move for Memphis.
“There will always be concerns about how Edey fares defending in space, but a player of his size, skill, and touch ought to be able to produce in small, concentrated bursts off the bench at the very least,” wrote The Ringer’s Danny Chau.
The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie, meanwhile, wrote that he believes Edey will “carve out an NBA role and stick around for a while”.
“He’s going to be a killer rebounder, monster screener and will consistently establish his position even against some of the stronger NBA players,” wrote Vecenie.
“I’m done doubting Edey, even as an NBA player. He’s exceptionally tough, and intel suggest his worth ethic is excellent. He’s an unbelievable competitor who desperately wants to win. He plays with an edge that allows him to overcome a lot of the perceived deficiencies of his game.”
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, meanwhile, was one of Edey’s biggest fans and said on Brian Windhorst’s podcast before the draft that he thinks the 22-year-old will be “awesome” in the NBA.
Zach Edey was a contentious pick. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“You hear them a lot possibly moving up. If they don’t move up, they need a center in the worst way and Zach Edey is clearly the second best center in the draft,” Givony said of Memphis.
“I look at him and I say, ‘What if Jonas Valanciunas was six inches taller?’. That’s what Zach Edey is… he plays incredibly hard, he’s physical, he’s competitive, he draws fouls and rebounds at a ridiculous rate. He is the best screener in this draft which counts a tonne in today’s NBA.
“We need to remember he’s been playing basketball for six years… he’s got better and better every year. His conditioning has improved… I just think when you put him in a smaller role in the NBA where he can go out and foul people, he’s going to be awesome. I think he’s a starting center in the NBA.”
All of this is to not necessarily say one person is right and another is wrong but that there were varying opinions on Edey before the draft and that was only magnified afterwards by how high he was taken.
Edey averaged 25.2 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks as a senior while helping Purdue to the national championship game.
THUNDER REPLACE GIDDEY AND CONTINUE TO DO THINGS THEIR OWN WAY
Well, Oklahoma City clearly has a type and after making a charge to top seed in the highly-competitive Western Conference last season, why not lean into it more?
First, the Thunder drafted a guard and forward that general manager Sam Presti did not want to specifically say were picked as replacements for Josh Giddey, who the team traded to Chicago for Alex Caruso last week.
Instead, he wanted to focus more on the type of players they were — namely high-level processors with positional size and versatility.
So, Oklahoma City took Nikola Topic 12th overall even though Presti admitted he would likely not play next season as he recovers from an ACL tear he suffered in June.
Then, the Thunder traded five second-round picks to move up in the draft and take the extremely versatile Dillon Jones with the 26th overall pick.
Nikola Topic was drafted by the Thunder. Sarah Stier/Getty Images/AFPSource: AFP
“I wouldn’t compare him specifically to Josh… but like I said earlier, guys that are big for their position, that process the game well, those guys can play pretty much all over the floor,” Presti said of Topic.
“We value those skillsets more than trying to replicate a specific role. I don’t think you can have enough people that can make decisions on the court and when you combine that with size, it definitely increases the effectiveness and probability of those decisions being good.”
Presti said that he had travelled alongside the team’s longtime director of medical services, Donnie Strack, to visit Topic before the draft, where he underwent an in-person medical exam.
A group of Thunder scouts also interviewed Topic at the NBA Draft Combine in Italy and while the expectation is that it will be a redshirt rookie season, the team’s similar experience with Chet Holmgren gave them confidence this was an opportunity worth taking.
But it were those qualities Presti mentioned earlier and specifically players who are big for their position and that can process the game well that made both Topic and Jones solid picks.
Of course, Giddey was one of those players at 6-foot-8 with his playmaking and high basketball IQ. So, it is safe to say the Thunder found potential replacements for his production.
“That’s who I am as a player and to do that is exciting.”
While there was no guarantee Josh Giddey was going to be traded by the Oklahoma City Thunder this offseason, there was always a sense a fresh start was in his best interests.
Giddey said as much himself, without actually saying that explicitly.
That earlier quote came from the 21-year-old’s exit interview last month, where an honest Giddey opened up on how he handled his “rollercoaster” third year in the NBA.
While the majority of the questions put to him that day centred around his playoff benching against Dallas and future in Oklahoma City, he was also asked about the upcoming Paris Olympics.
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‘This is no indictment on Josh’ | 06:21
Specifically, one reporter wondered whether suiting up for the Boomers could help him build towards next season, although of course at this point it was in the context of playing for OKC.
“It’s a different role,” Giddey said.
“I’m going to have the ball in my hands a lot more with Australia, initiating the offence and setting guys up.
“That’s who I am as a player and to do that is exciting.”
That’s who I am. Those four words, even in the context of a question about the Boomers, were yet another reminder of why it didn’t work out for Giddey in what we now know was his final year with the Thunder, after being traded on Friday to the Chicago Bulls in a deal that sees Alex Caruso sent to Oklahoma City.
That is who Giddey is and always was as a player. But he wasn’t that player in a Thunder team that was spoilt for choice when it came to playmaking options.
When you combine Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s rapid rise to superstardom with the emergence of Jalen Williams and rookie big man Chet Holmgren, Giddey was the odd man out — forced to play in a role that didn’t play to his strengths.
Those same strengths which Giddey flashed in his Boomers debut at the FIBA World Cup last year, thriving in a more ball-dominant role as he finished with 14 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists in a 98-72 win over Finland.
Josh Giddey played a more ball-dominant role for Australia at the FIBA World Cup. (Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
With it, Giddey became the first player in the 21st century to have more than 10 points, five rebounds and five assists in their first World Cup game since, you guessed it, LeBron James.
And Giddey was constantly rewriting the record books and putting his name among legendary ones like LeBron in his rookie year with Oklahoma City, again, when he was playing in a role that was better suited to his game.
All of this is to say that as much as Giddey loved it in Oklahoma City and the Thunder loved him back, this was a move that had to happen for both parties.
Here, foxsports.com.au breaks down what the trade means for both the Thunder and Bulls along with what Australian NBA fans can expect from Giddey in his first season in new colours.
SO, FIRST OFF — WHO WON THE TRADE?
Look, some trades that initially look terrible can look like masterstrokes in hindsight.
The Bulls will be hoping this is one of those instances because even if Giddey goes back to playing the way he did in his first two seasons with OKC, this is a slam dunk win for the Thunder.
That is not an indictment on Giddey as a player or his talent but on a Bulls front office that has seemingly come around to the realisation they need to re-tool an aging roster that has for a few seasons now not really been in a position to compete for a title.
And yet, despite that glaring reality, Chicago continually ran it back and decided against making any major moves at the trade deadline in the hope of potentially becoming more than just a team that settles for making the first round of the playoffs.
The Bulls haven’t really been going anywhere in recent years. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
But even that would be a win for a Bulls team that has only qualified for the first round once in the past five years.
Instead, the introduction of the NBA’s play-in tournament has given Chicago an even lower bar to settle for, keeping the franchise stuck on a treadmill of mediocrity.
What makes this trade particularly had for Bulls fans to take is reporting from Will Gottlieb of CHGO, who wrote earlier this week that the team had “received offers from multiple teams, consisting of multiple protected first-round picks ahead of the 2024 Trade Deadline”.
So, why didn’t they take that? Well, a source told Gottlieb that such a move would mean immediately trying to find a replacement for Caruso, which would have been the logical next step if the Bulls were rebuilding.
However, Gottlieb reported the source said there was a “mandate” from Bulls CEO Michael Reinsdorf to fight for the playoffs.
Again, another example of the disconnect in the Bulls front office when it came to what they wanted this team to be and what it actually is.
Bulls Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Arturas Karnisovas appeared to signal after the team’s play-in tournament exit last season that reality had dawned on the franchise.
“We aren’t here for the play-in,” he said.
“It’s a team game and we have to make changes to fix things.”
“Analysis will start right now and go into free agency,” he added when asked if a rebuild was a possibility.
“I think we’re going to be pretty aggressive, the way we showed before going into the draft and free agency. We obviously can’t roll (out) the same team again and expect different results.”
The Giddey move may just be the start, but you still have to question how the Bulls weren’t able to get more for a player of Caruso’s calibre, especially when you consider the multitude of picks Oklahoma City has at its disposal.
Both asked the same question: what draft picks were involved? That says it all.
Perhaps that says as much about Chicago’s confidence in Giddey’s potential as a primary ballhandler as it does the power of Thunder GM Sam Presti to get a deal done.
Because for a guy who continues to impress with his shrewd decision-making, this is another home run swing for Presti and the Thunder.
Alex Caruso is a great pick-up for Oklahoma City. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Caruso is the kind of high-level 3-and-D player that any contending team would be desperate to have and for the Thunder in particular it is a seamless fit.
The 30-year-old is coming off a season where he had a career-high 120 steals and 70 blocks while shooting 40.8 per cent from downtown.
Shooting and defence, on the other hand, were Giddey’s two biggest weaknesses and were exposed down the stretch in the playoffs.
Add in the factor Caruso will earn just $9.9 million next season and the leadership he will bring to this young but emerging Thunder roster and this could be the move to help Oklahoma City take the next step towards title contention after coming up short in the Western Conference semi-finals this year.
WHAT COMES NEXT FOR GIDDEY AND THE BULLS?
Well, the move away from a 30-year-old win-now piece in Caruso to more of a developmental player in Giddey suggests there could be plenty more roster movement this offseason in Chicago.
That is especially true when you consider the fact the only way Giddey will get his hands on the ball more is if the Bulls move on from either Zach LaVine or DeMar DeRozan, or potentially both.
LaVine looks the most likely candidate to be traded, with NBC Sports Chicago’s K.C. Johnson reporting before the Giddey news that Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas has “floated as many as 15 proposals” around LaVine.
It isn’t surprising to hear that sort of desperation coming from Chicago with the NBA Draft fast-approaching, where the Bulls should be targeting young players to bolster their frontcourt as well as size and versatility on the wing.
While the expectation was that Chicago would have been able to get at least some draft compensation in a deal for Caruso, moving on from LaVine at least opens up another opportunity to do that before next Thursday’s first round.
It will be hard to get much in return though given it is hardly a secret that the Bulls want to get off LaVine’s contract, with the 29-year-old still owed $138 million ($A207m) over the next three years.
Zach LaVine could be moved. Michael Reaves/Getty Images/AFPSource: AFP
DeRozan, meanwhile, is off-contract this summer and the Bulls reportedly offered a two-year, $40 million extension to his management in April.
Both parties seem to be interested in running it back but it may end up being a matter of how much the Bulls are willing to offer.
Evan Sidery of Forbes Sports, meanwhile, reported Chicago “appear willing” to part with Nikola Vucevic “for the right price”.
And of course, outside of LaVine, DeRozan and Vucevic, then there is the matter of Lonzo Ball’s near two-year-long recovery from a knee injury.
The move for Giddey indicates the Bulls are pessimistic, or at least covering their bases, given the uncertain nature of Ball’s timeline, with Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic reporting the team expects him to return at some point during the 2025 season.
“Team officials are confident Ball will play next season. They’re just not as confident about when,” Mayberry wrote, adding on Friday that a trade or buyout “could be likely”.
Giddey can absolutely co-exist alongside breakout guard Coby White, who emerged as a key piece of Chicago’s future last season and is a solid off-ball shooter.
Coby White emerged as a key piece of Chicago’s future last season. Jamie Sabau/Getty Images/AFPSource: AFP
It gives the Bulls a young backcourt duo to build around, should they find a trade partner for LaVine, while Ayo Dosunmu also flashed his potential last year in a bigger role.
The main focus, outside of improving the frontcourt, should be on trying to put shooting around Giddey given White and Dosunmu were the only two players currently on the roster to make at least 100 3-pointers last season.
The team, as a whole, ranked 25th and 26th in the league for 3-pointer attempted and made respectively.
The other question is what happens with Giddey’s contract given the Australian is still eligible to negotiate a rookie-scale extension.
If he can’t come to an agreement with the Bulls by the day before the start of regular season, when rookie-scale extensions must be signed by, he will be a restricted free agent in the summer of 2025.
HOW WILL GIDDEY BE REMEMBERED IN OKLAHOMA CITY?
Obviously that playoff series against the Mavericks isn’t the way Giddey would have liked to have ended his Oklahoma City career, but you have to remember two things.
First, those 76 minutes were only a small fraction of what was otherwise a memorable first few years in the NBA for Giddey, who became the youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double and continued to break records in a rookie season that exceeded all expectations.
Second, it is easy to forget Giddey is still only 21 years old, turning 22 at the start of next season in October.
In other words, while he may currently have limitations on the defensive end and as a shooter, he still has plenty of time to develop his game in that capacity.
“He’s 21, so 21-year-olds generally have up-and-down years,” Thunder GM Presti said of Giddey at his exit interview.
“… But at 21 years old, he’s stubborn. When I say stubborn, I mean that in an endearing way. He’s confident. In the way that I think a lot of people would like to see him capitulate and give in, he’s not doing that.”
Josh Giddey had a great rookie season with Oklahoma City. Dustin Satloff/Getty Images/AFPSource: AFP
And as much as commentary on Giddey in his final season at OKC focused on his shortcomings, there is a reason the Thunder drafted him with the sixth overall pick in a move that many people in NBA circles believed was a reach at the time.
Obviously that all starts with the Australian’s unique court vision and playmaking, which again remains his greatest strength but wasn’t as necessary in this version of the Thunder.
What makes Giddey a particularly intriguing player though is the fact you get that kind of playmaking from a guy who is 6-foot-8 and can rebound the ball the way he can.
His basketball IQ is also far beyond his years, as is his emotional maturity, which the 21-year-old proved in his exit interview last month when discussing his benching against Dallas.
You only have to compare the way Giddey reacted to the adversity, speaking about wanting to be a “better teammate”, with that of the more experienced Gordon Hayward, who bemoaned not being “given much of an opportunity” despite not really proving he deserved that.
While some people may look at Giddey’s limitations as one of the main reasons the Thunder fell short of competing for a championship, it is sometimes lost in the noise that he actually improved as a 3-point shooter on the season as a whole.
Giddey had shot 26.3 per cent and 32.5 per cent from 3-point range in his first two seasons with the team and improved to a career-best 33.7 per cent.
Meanwhile, Giddey was particularly effective across the board in March with Gilgeous-Alexander injured, again proving how good he can be when playing on the ball more.
JOSH GIDDEY IN MARCH vs REST OF THE REGULAR SEASON
Points: 16.3 vs 11.6
Rebounds: 7.0 vs 6.3
Assists: 5.5 vs 4.8
FG%: 57.2 vs 44.4
3P%: 41.4 vs 31.2
And just a week before the start of the Western Conference semi-finals, Giddey was coming off a New Orleans series where he averaged 12.5 points and shot 50 per cent from deep.
A limited sample size sure, but just another reminder of what Giddey can be when playing a confident and aggressive style of basketball.
All of this is to say at just 21 years old and with the postseason experience he had at Oklahoma City, there is plenty of room for Giddey to grow.
Like his early years with the Thunder, Giddey shapes as a key piece of a Chicago team that may be soon forging a new identity.
But for Giddey, this move isn’t about finding his identity as a basketball player. It has always been there.
Giddey knows who he is as a player. A fresh start will give him the opportunity to lean into that even more, as will be the case next month in Paris.
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag revealed Sunday the English giants had admitted courting Thomas Tuchel to replace him but opted to persevere with the under-pressure Dutchman when “they came to the conclusion that they already have the best manager”.
The 54-year-old Ten Hag was the subject of intense scrutiny after United ended last season eighth in the Premier League — their lowest finish since 1990 — and crashed out of the Champions League at the group stage.
But he did help salvage something from the campaign thanks to a 2-1 FA Cup final win over local rivals Manchester City at Wembley that also secured a place in next season’s Europa League.
“The club management came to me while I was on holiday in Ibiza,” Ten Hag told NOS on Sunday, while working as a football pundit for the Dutch broadcaster.
“They suddenly showed up on my doorstep and told me they wanted to continue with me. It was a turbulent season. Never a dull moment.”
Former Tottenham and Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino and Kieran McKenna, the boss of newly-promoted Ipswich, were both touted for a job where there was technically no vacancy — Ten Hag’s contract with United is about to enter its final season.
Ten Hag will remain as Manchester United’s manager despite a horror 23/24 season. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Other managers linked to United included Graham Potter, Thomas Frank, Roberto De Zerbi and current England boss Gareth Southgate.
But it was former Chelsea and Bayern Munich boss Tuchel who attracted United’s interest.
The German reportedly met with United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe, only to appear to rule himself out.
But Ten Hag said United chiefs had flown out to Ibiza to tell him they wanted him to stay in post.
“Manchester United have told me that they spoke with Tuchel, but they eventually came to the conclusion that they already have the best manager.”
Ten Hag, reflecting on the club’s end of season review, added: “As in any organisation, it is wise to evaluate. Manchester United did that too. The new owner (Ratcliffe) is new to football, he has taken his time.
Tuchel was approached by Manchester United. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“They have indeed told me that they have spoken to other managers. That is not even allowed in the Netherlands. Then it is forbidden to talk to other coaches if there is still a trainer (manager).”
Ten Hag, who joined United from Ajax in 2022, said while he had yet to conclude talks on a contract extension he was still confident of a new deal that would keep him at Old Trafford.
“We have had good discussions with each other, various topics have been discussed,” he said. “The conclusion is that we will continue together and that they will extend my contract.
“We still have to reach an agreement on that.”
Ten Hag is United’s fifth permanent manager since the end of Alex Ferguson’s trophy-filled reign in 2013, following David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The 115-112 loss to Chicago guaranteed Dallas had no hope of appearing in the play-in tournament, where it could have tried to go on an unlikely run to the NBA Finals.
Instead, despite making a move for superstar guard Kyrie Irving at the trade deadline, the Mavericks made a clear concession that the team — as constructed in that moment — was not good enough to win a title.
So, Dallas lost. But in reality, the Mavericks won in a big way.
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Doncic x Gafford combo sink Timberwolves | 01:00
By throwing away the game against the Bulls, Dallas improved its chances of keeping its first-round pick in that year’s draft.
Quickly for context, in case you have forgotten by now, the Mavericks still owed a first-round pick to the New York Knicks as part of the trade for Kristaps Porzingis in 2019 at that point.
But if the draft lottery handed them a top-10 selection, they wouldn’t have to give it up. A lower finish in the overall standings, of course, gave them better odds of drawing a top-10 pick.
The Mavericks were fined $750,000 after that league investigation was completed but it mattered little as they drew the No.10 pick, later trading back on draft day to select rookie big man Dereck Lively II at 12th overall.
The same Lively II who has been a rookie revelation this season, exceeding everyone’s expectations — including his own — and developing an immediate connection with Luka Doncic.
The same Luka Doncic who, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, had “publicly and privately expressed extreme frustration” during the 2022-23 season.
Team sources told ESPN at the time a “fear” existed that Doncic “could consider requesting a trade as soon as the summer of 2024 if Dallas doesn’t make significant progress by then”.
Again, it is funny how quickly things can change.
Luka Doncic is through to the NBA Finals. David Berding/Getty Images/AFPSource: AFP
Now Dallas is just four games away from lifting the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
Doncic, meanwhile, is on the verge of joining the likes of Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo as recent NBA champions who could have so easily become the latest superstars to force their way out as part of the league’s player empowerment era.
Instead they stayed patient. Instead, they trusted their front offices to do right by them.
Now both have rings to show for it. Soon, Doncic could too.
“He’d like to be here the whole time,” Mavericks co-owner Cuban told ESPN at the time.
“But we’ve got to earn that.”
Dallas did just that at this year’s trade deadline, making a pair of strategic moves to build around Doncic, having already put the perfect co-star next to him in Irving.
But not everyone believed Irving was the ideal fit, with one ESPN writer giving the trade a ‘D’ grade — and Irving hasn’t forgotten it.
The Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving partnership has paid off. Stephen Maturen/Getty Images/AFPSource: AFP
There has been plenty written about the eight-time All-Star over the years and with time, Irving has found his own way of dealing with that reality.
“All the stories and narratives are going to exist forever,” he told reporters after Dallas clinched its NBA Finals berth.
“I’m sure I’ll hear it until I retire. But again, this is what comes with this industry.”
It doesn’t mean Irving isn’t allowed to have a little bit of fun with it though. He has a folder in his phone, exclusively for memes — and there is one that is particularly satisfying to look back at.
“ESPN gave us a grade D for the trade of me coming here,” Irving said after a 109-95 win over Atlanta, which secured Dallas’ spot in the playoffs.
“I think us clinching a playoff spot and putting ourselves in a great position definitely answers some of those questions that were asked last season by some of the naysayers and all of that stuff.”
Some of the naysayers pointed to on-court concerns, questioning whether Irving and Doncic would be just the latest example of two ball-dominant superstars failing to co-exist.
Most, however, were more worried by the off-court distractions, cautious to completely buy into the idea of an Irving and Doncic backcourt given the way things ended in Boston and Brooklyn.
And there was a chance things could end even more abruptly in Dallas given Irving was a chance of becoming an unrestricted free agent after just a few months with the Mavericks.
In other words, Dallas were gambling on giving up Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith and an unprotected 2029 first-round pick for a short-term rental.
Trading for Kyrie Irving was a risk. David Berding/Getty Images/AFPSource: AFP
“The Mavs could either have four seasons of the best backcourt in the league. Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic. Are you kidding? That’s incredible.
“Or they could have six months of that, flame out in the playoffs and then Kyrie goes to the Lakers.
“Or they could completely alienate their star who is supposed to be the saviour of the franchise after Dirk Nowitzki left by bringing in a combustible second star who may not totally want to be there long-term, leaving Luka even more barren and alone in Dallas.
“All three of those are really on the table here for Dallas.”
Fortunately for Dallas, it ended up being the first option as Irving re-signed on a three-year, $126 million deal and formed what Stan Van Gundy described as “arguably the best offensive backcourt in the history of the NBA”.
Irving has been the perfect sidekick, if that is even the right word for what he has been doing these playoffs, averaging 22.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 5.2 assists while shooting 42.1 per cent from deep.
He has been playing the best postseason defence in his career too and that has been bringing the best out of Doncic, who has also been much-improved on that side of the floor.
Doncic stars as Mavs go 3-0 over Wolves | 00:50
“Those two worked at it,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said.
“It just didn’t happen overnight. That’s a beautiful thing. It’s alright to be wrong. We’re not always right. But it’s a beautiful combination.
“Those two play off each other. You can see that they care about one another. They’re in competition with each other on who’s playing the best defence and that’s kind of cool to see because when you used to look at Kai and Luka, a lot of times we’re not known for our defensive guys but they’re competing.”
More than anything though, even if it is a simplistic way of looking at it, the most important thing is that, finally, Irving is just playing basketball.
And that hasn’t always been a guarantee with Irving, who was both a walking human highlight reel on the court and walking human headline off it during his time at Brooklyn.
In his final season, it was the refusal to get vaccinated for Covid-19, which saw him miss two-thirds of the season, and the promotion of a video that shared anti-Semitic views.
Even on the court Irving wasn’t a stranger to drama, stomping on the Celtics logo in his second game back at TD Garden and flipping off fans who yelled explicit chants at him.
“Kyrie Irving has been great. He came to Dallas and there’s no drama there. We haven’t heard anything out of him,” Dan Patrick said this week on his show.
“And that’s good, because we do just want to see him play basketball. The other stuff, the off-the-court stuff, if he revisits that when he’s done, great.
“I like to see a player who has that much talent to be back on the big stage again, and he’s been through an awful lot. But at 32, all the sudden you look around and go ‘this isn’t going to last much longer, how do I want to be remembered?’
“Does he care about how he wants to be remembered? But when he does play, when he wants to play, he’s remarkable. Was Dallas desperate? Maybe.
“But Mark Cuban was not afraid to take a chance. Kyrie had to respect Luka, had to respect Jason Kidd. He had to be willing to be a great team player and realise that you’re not going to be the guy.
“He had to be a bit submissive to Luka, because it’s Luka’s team. And Kyrie has done a wonderful job.”
Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving have brought out the best in each other. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
A frank Irving admitted he “wasn’t my best self” during his time at Boston, but equally told reporters this week there could have been “a little bit more grace extended my way”.
“Especially with what I was dealing with during that time as a human being,” he added.
It also seems like Irving has come to terms with the fact that no matter what he does and no matter what he says, people are always going to have opinions on him — another sign of the 32-year-old’s growth since his Boston days.
“When you’re in a professional environment such as this and you can only be judged by your on-court performances and what people say off the court, and they don’t know who you are, I think that’s a little unfair,” Irving said.
“But that’s the life we live in and life is just not fair all the time. I just stopped being a kid towards this industry and just grew up and grew wings. I just developed a mentality to be able to brush off a lot of that stuff.”
Celtics sweep Pacers to reach NBA Finals | 01:17
Of course, as much as Irving has obviously helped lift the ceiling of this team, any discussion on Dallas’ charge to the NBA Finals has to involve the moves it made around the margins.
Starting with the trade deadline acquisitions of Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington, who bolstered the Mavericks’ frontcourt after an underwhelming start to the season.
It can be easy to forget that Dallas had a 29-23 record before the deadline, ranking just 22nd in defensive rating, 12th in offence and 17th in net rating.
A lot of that came back to Irving and Doncic not being healthy, missing 22 and eight games respectively.
But either way, provided the superstar duo were on the court when it mattered most, it was still clear that the Mavericks needed more — especially on the defensive end.
Adding Washington gave Dallas a disruptive defender and extra scoring option, with the former Hornet coming up clutch in the playoffs with a number of big-time shots in big-time moments.
P.J. Washington has been a welcome addition. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Gafford, meanwhile, eased the pressure on rookie Lively II to perform right away while his effective rim protection proved particularly important against the Minnesota frontcourt.
Beyond Gafford and Washington, Derrick Jones Jr. has proven a shrewd free agency pick-up after Dallas signed him to a veteran’s minimum one-year deal in the summer.
Even coach Kidd, meanwhile, deserves plenty of credit after being questioned for his rotations in the regular season before finding a formula that helped Dallas to a 22-9 record after the trade deadline and, now, an NBA finals appearance.
Of course, it goes without saying that the Mavericks wouldn’t be in this position without Doncic, who ranks first for points, rebounds, assists, steals, field goals, 3-pointers and free throws this playoffs.
DOMINANT DONCIC (Playoffs)
Points: 489 (1st)
Rebounds: 164 (1st)
Assists: 150 (1st)
Steals: 28 (1st)
FG: 166 (1st)
3-pt FG: 57 (1st)
FT: 100 (1st)
But everyone already knew Doncic was good. He was never the one holding this team back. In fact, the conversation was always about how the Mavericks were holding him back.
Now, nothing is holding Doncic and Dallas back from winning the team’s first championship in 13 years and like reigning champions Denver, there is something to be said about the way the Mavericks patiently waited, knowing with the right pieces, they could reach this point.
It took a bit of time for the Doncic-Irving backcourt combination to flourish too but now, as Gafford put it after Dallas’ series-sealing win over Minnesota, we are witnessing “greatness”.
“In all honesty, I’d say it’s the patience when it comes to just being around each other,” Gafford said.
“When I was first seeing the trade when Kyrie got here, they said, ‘Oh, him and Luka is not going to work’. They’re working pretty good together right now, if I do say so myself.
“So whoever said that, they obviously need to go get their eyes checked. Just watching it, to me, it’s just greatness.”
In an NBA Finals series full of superstars, headlined by masterful teammate Luka Doncic, Australian duo Josh Green and Dante Exum won’t be getting that much attention.
Doncic has been the one constant amid a revolving door of role players and co-stars in Dallas over the past few years, and while the Slovenian sensation is still more than capable of being a one-man wrecking crew, this season the Mavericks finally put the right pieces around him.
Obviously that starts with Kyrie Irving and then extends to the drafting of rookie big man Dereck Lively Jr. and addition of trade deadline targets P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford.
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Even forward Derrick Jones Jr., who signed a one-year veteran minimum last offseason, has averaged 9.8 points in the postseason to become a free agency bargain given his calling card is the work he does on the other end of the floor.
But at various points during the regular season and even in the playoffs, Exum and especially Green have emerged as key role players in what could be a championship-winning team.
Dante Exum guards Mike Conley in the Western Conference Finals. Stephen Maturen/Getty Images/AFPSource: AFP
For both Exum and Green though, even making it to the NBA Finals in the first place is an achievement in itself given the position both players found themselves in at the end of 2022.
Green, a 2020 first-round pick, had seen his playing time significantly reduced as the Sydney native averaged just 7.6 minutes per game in Dallas’ 2022 playoff run, which ended with a Conference Finals exit at the hands of Golden State.
Exum, meanwhile, was in the middle of his second season abroad, playing in Europe for Partizan Belgrade, wondering if he — a former fifth overall pick — would ever get another shot in the NBA.
Both Exum and Green were at a crossroads of sorts in their careers, still with so much left to give but not sure where the next chapter would take them.
It ended up reuniting the Boomers teammates, pairing Green with the same player he used to look up to when he was only 17 years old and honing his craft at Florida’s IMG Academy.
But things could have been very different for Green if he had not put in the work during a “big summer” after the 2022 playoffs, sparking an “incredible” two-month transformation.
Josh Green wanted to improve his game. (Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
THE ‘BIG SUMMER’ BEHIND GREEN’S BUMPER MAVS PAYDAY
Not even 24 hours had passed since Dallas had been eliminated by Golden State before Green reached out to veteran trainer Joe Abunassar, founder of Impact Basketball and a pioneer in player development.
“I love players like Josh that are really kind of at the crossroads of their career and really need to grow up into the game,” Abunassar told foxsports.com.au last year.
“To make themselves a name in the league.”
Abunassar said at the time that the program had put “about” 300 players into the NBA over the past 25 years, including former stars like Garnett and Chauncey Billups and more recent ones such as Tyrese Haliburton and Ziaire Williams.
Although, it is not a case of Abunassar taking any player he can get. He is selective about who he works with, at a point in his career where he doesn’t “like to work with a lot of guys that I don’t enjoy working with”, as he put it in 2023.
Which brings us back to Green, because even from the first time Abunassar met Green — at that point just a 19-year-old draft hopeful — there were already signs of “something special”.
Green just needed to refine a few things. That required putting in the extra hours, which was no problem for Green, who Abunassar said “worked his arse off” even in his teenage days.
Green needed that same work ethic after a disappointing post-season, which he told foxsports.com.au in late 2022 had “helped me become motivated and ready to go”.
Celtics sweep Pacers to reach NBA Finals | 01:17
“He did not have a great playoffs run in the sense that he lost his minutes and so many players when that happens, they point the finger,” Abunassar said.
“But what Josh did is he called me the day after or maybe the night of and said, ‘I’ve got to get better’. He said, ‘I have to have a big summer. I have to get better’.
“And of course, somebody like myself, who sometimes fights with players to understand that, was extremely pleased to hear that. It spoke to his focus.”
The result was that Green moved to Las Vegas about a week after the postseason ended, working with Abunassar for two months on his shooting, ball-handling and finishing.
Those were three key areas of improvement Dallas wanted to see in Green and it was particularly important that the Mavericks saw it from him the following season too given he would be rookie extension eligible in the summer of 2023.
All that work Green put in that summer with Abunassar ended up paying off in a big way, with the Australian agreeing to a three-year, $41 million ($A61.5m) extension with Dallas.
Green’s emergence as a willing and confident shooter helped open up his game, only adding to the 23-year-old’s value for Dallas off the bench as the ultimate glue guy with quick hands and high energy that make him disruptive on the defensive end.
In fact, former Celtics champion Kevin Garnett put Green’s name forward as one of the secret weapons Boston has to look out for in the upcoming Finals series.
Josh Green has gone to new heights. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“He’s the [Lu] Dort of Dallas,” Garnett said on the latest episode of the ‘KG Certified’ podcast.
“You see how Dort played Luka… he was in his arse making him fall. He really beat Luka up that series. That’s what Green is going to do… he competes, he will run your arse over. “Australians should wake up looking for the smoke, he plays D like a stronger Caldwell-Pope… he’s got fight in him.”
Most recently, Green had a pair of steals and showed off his improvement as a passer with slick playmaking to set up Washington in Dallas’ Game 5 blowout win over Minnesota.
Green had an injury-disrupted start to this season before an impressive stretch in February, where he averaged 11.7 points and 4.2 rebounds while shooting 46.8 per cent from downtown.
When Green was out of line-up Exum was often the one to benefit from the additional playing time, although the 28-year-old guard also had his own injury setbacks this season.
HOW LUCKLESS EXUM TOOK A ‘RISK’ AND WAS REWARDED
That, unfortunately, was nothing new for Exum, whose early years in the NBA were plagued by injuries — most notably an ACL tear after his promising rookie season in Utah.
Exum had played all 82 games of his rookie campaign, starting 41 of them, but missed the entire 2015-16 season and then later underwent shoulder surgery in October, 2017.
An ankle sprain, bone bruise and partially torn patellar tendon in his right followed, with Exum suffering all three injuries in the 2018-19 season before being traded by the Jazz.
Dante Exum had a bad run with injuries. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“I didn’t think it was gonna happen that fast. But I was happy, relieved, and just ready for that next chapter,” Exum told Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports earlier this year.
“I needed a fresh start. I think it was just something I needed for my mental [health], just to get back to playing basketball.”
But that didn’t happen at Cleveland, with Exum playing just 24 games in his first season with the Cavaliers and only six in his second year before being traded to the Houston Rockets.
There, Exum didn’t see any playing time and was waived in late 2021, seven years after he was first drafted into the league at fifth overall.
It left him at risk of simply fading into the background, becoming just another top prospect that promised so much but amounted to so little, through no fault of his own, of course.
But instead of asking what could have been, Exum asked himself what could still be.
He made the decision to move to Europe, first with FC Barcelona and then Partizan, finding the best shooting touch of his career and simply getting back to enjoying basketball again.
Finally, after giving so much of himself to the sport for so many years, it was starting to give a little back. Although nothing else was guaranteed.
Dante Exum in Melbourne at a Footlocker store after being drafted. Picture: Ellen SmithSource: News Corp Australia
“It’s always a risk,” Exum told Yahoo Sports.
“Not many people go to Europe and are able to come back. It’s hard to get back.”
But the Mavericks came calling, impressed by Exum’s development in Europe after the Australian averaged 13.2 points for Partizan in his final season in Europe.
“The expectations were off the charts for him when he was drafted at 18,” Dallas coach Jason Kidd said, “but sometimes it just takes people a little bit longer”.
In the case of Exum, there was little he could do to speed up that journey, the victim of a career that to most people would be viewed as one of misfortune. But Exum sees it differently.
Because without that adversity and the time spent in Europe, which Exum described as a “different beast”, he would not be the same person or player he is today.
And while Exum has gradually seen his minutes reduced this postseason, it does not take away from the impact he had at Dallas in various stages of the regular season, at one point rewarded with a starting role before an injury again derailed the momentum he had built.
Dante Exum is back in the NBA and thriving. (Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“Honestly, he’s been amazing so far,” Doncic said of Exum after he had 19 points and five assists in a 132-122 win over the Warriors.
“I know we’re looking for a buzzword or something different in the world, but he’s a basketball player — playing his role and being a star in his role,” added coach Kidd at the time.
“It’s a pretty cool thing because he’s not a max player. But he’s playing like a max player.
“It’s a beautiful thing to watch. He deserves everything he’s getting right now.”
Both Exum and Green have put in the work to get to this point, four wins away from becoming NBA champions.
They have taken different roads — Exum’s a long and winding one, while Green himself has had to overcome a few speedbumps along the way.
But it will only make the moment they lift the Larry O’Brien Trophy that much more special and while the focus will be on Doncic and Irving if that does happen, both Exum and Green will know — regular season or postseason — they played a part in making NBA history.
Liverpool confirmed on Monday that Feyenoord coach Arne Slot will be the new manager of the Premier League club, 24 hours after Jurgen Klopp’s emotional farewell at Anfield.
Liverpool said in a statement that the Dutchman, 45, would take up the position of head coach on June 1, subject to a work permit.
The club did not specify the length of his contract but it was widely reported in the British press that Slot had signed a three-year deal.
The new manager’s arrival was an open secret, with Liverpool reportedly agreeing a compensation deal worth up to £9.4 million ($AUD17.9 million).
Slot confirmed Anfield was his next destination at his final pre-match press conference at the Eredivisie club on Friday.
Klopp, 56, announced January that the 2023/24 season would be his last at Anfield, and took charge of his final game on Sunday, a 2-0 win against Wolves.
In his farewell speech to the crowd, the German urged fans to throw their full support behind his successor, leading them in a chant of “Arne Slot, na na na na na”.
“You welcome the new manager like you welcomed me,” he said.
“You go all-in from the first day. And you keep believing and you push the team.”
Slot, linked with a move to Tottenham last year, became Feyenoord boss in 2021 after impressing in his first managerial role at AZ Alkmaar.
Slot replaces Jurgen Klopp at the helm of Liverpool. (Photo by Bart Stoutjesdijk / ANP / AFP) / Netherlands OUTSource: AFP
He led the Dutch giants to the inaugural Europa Conference League final at the end of his first season, which they narrowly lost 1-0 to Jose Mourinho’s Roma.
Slot then delivered just a second league title in 24 years to De Kuip last season before penning a new three-year deal.
“You can see people are genuinely sorry you are leaving,” he said on Friday.
“You can say that with words, but when you see it in people’s faces, it affects me quite a lot.” Feyenoord have enjoyed a strong season, winning the Dutch Cup and coming second to an all-conquering PSV Eindhoven side in the league.
Under Slot, Feyenoord have delighted the fans at De Kuip with an attacking brand of football and Slot has won praise from Klopp himself.
“I like the way his team plays football. If he is the one, I like that he wants it,” Klopp said last month.
“It’s the best job in the world, best club in the world. Great job, great team, fantastic people. A really interesting job.”
Liverpool captain and fellow Dutchman Virgil van Dijk has hailed Slot’s attacking mindset, saying it would suit the philosophy at Anfield.
Virgil van Dijk believes Slot’s attacking philosophy will fit in well with Liverpool’s squad. (Photo by Bart Stoutjesdijk / ANP / AFP) / Netherlands OUTSource: AFP
Speaking about the future under the new boss, Van Dijk said: “It is all about sticking together and giving him the chance of showing what he is capable of with the other guys who will come in.
“He probably knows already but everyone knows our expectations are always huge and it is about managing that in the right way and getting the maximum out of all of our players.”
Slot has huge shoes to fill at Anfield after Klopp restored Liverpool to the elite of English and European football during his nine-year reign.
Under his leadership Liverpool won a sixth Champions League crown and a 19th league title, as well as a clutch of other silverware.
Initially, Bayer Leverkusen boss and former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso was the favourite to succeed Klopp at Anfield.
However, Alonso committed to staying at Leverkusen as he led them to a first-ever Bundesliga title.
Liverpool finished third in the Premier League, qualifying for next season’s Champions League, and won the League Cup in Klopp’s final season.
Jurgen Klopp will leave Anfield on Sunday as a living legend, having restored Liverpool to the elite of English and European football while building a lasting bond with the city and its people.
Ever since the manager in January announced the shock decision he would be stepping down at the end of the season, the sense of loss that has enveloped Merseyside has been palpable.
The raw emotion is testament to a transformation that Liverpool had not seen since the days of Bill Shankly decades ago.
On Klopp’s first day in charge at Anfield in October 2015 he modestly declared himself as “a Normal One”, in stark contrast to Jose Mourinho’s bombastic “Special One” arrival as Chelsea boss a decade earlier.
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Yet the German would prove he was anything but normal, becoming the only Liverpool manager to complete the collection of Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup, Club World Cup and Community Shield during his tenure.
Klopp arrived with Liverpool 10th in the Premier League table and without a league title in 25 years.
Yet his force of personality, charisma and coaching nous soon began to enchant a highly emotive fanbase.
“This is a very, very special club. I didn’t make them believe, I reminded them that it helps when you believe,” said Klopp earlier this month.
“Everybody was ready to push the train. That’s what we did now for eight-and-a-half years.”
Here are the five moments that sum up his special time on Merseyside.
Klopp led Liverpool to a first Champions League title since 2005.Source: AFP
2016: Dortmund delight
It took nearly four years for the trophies to start flowing for Klopp in England but there were memorable moments from his first season as Liverpool reached the Europa League final, where they lost to Sevilla.
Klopp faced a reunion with former club Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-finals. After a 1-1 draw in the first leg, two early goals from the Germans at Anfield left Liverpool with a mountain to climb.
But the Reds roared back, with Dejan Lovren scoring a late winner as Klopp bounced up and down on the touchline, celebrating a 5-4 win on aggregate.
Liverpool would go onto reach four European finals under Klopp as he restored the English giants as a powerhouse in continental competition.
Liverpool’s Croatian defender Dejan Lovren (L) celebrates with Jurgen Klopp after the epic win.Source: AFP
2019: Barcelona blown away
For all of Liverpool’s rich history in European competition, arguably Anfield’s greatest ever night came in a remarkable fightback against Barcelona to reach the Champions League final in 2019.
A Lionel Messi-inspired Barca had won the first leg 3-0 at the Camp Nou. Back at Anfield they were demolished by an understrength Liverpool, who were without two of their own talismanic front three in Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino.
In their absence, Divock Origi was the unlikely hero as he and Georginio Wijnaldum each scored twice in a stunning 4-0 victory.
Klopp celebrates with Mo Salah and Virgil Van Dijk after one of Liverpool’s greatest European nights.Source: Getty Images
2019: Champions League glory
After beating Barcelona, Tottenham were tamed as tens of thousands of Liverpool supporters turned Madrid red in celebration of a sixth Champions League title.
Salah and Origi scored the goals at the Metropolitano Stadium as Klopp finally got his hands on Europe’s biggest prize after losing his two previous finals with Dortmund and Liverpool.
Klopp with the Champions League trophy as the team celebrated in an open-top bus parade in Liverpool.Source: AFP
2020: First Premier League trophy for 30 years
Liverpool posted a then club-record 97 Premier League points in the 2018/19 season, but still missed out on the title by one point to a relentless Manchester City.
The following year they were not to be denied — even by the interruption to the season caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Klopp’s men won 26 and drew one of their opening 27 games on their way to racking up 99 points and claiming a first league title in 30 years.
The players had to lift the trophy at an empty Anfield because of Covid restrictions, but thousands of fans defied the ban on socialising to gather outside the stadium, setting off red flares.
After years of near misses, Liverpool finally ended their long wait for another league crown in 2020.Source: AFP
2024: Unlikely final trophy
After a difficult 2022/23 campaign, Klopp proved his managerial acumen once more by refreshing the squad with youth and energy, which inspired another quadruple quest.
Klopp’s goodbye did not reach a glorious crescendo as Liverpool’s Premier League title challenge came off the rails in the final weeks of the campaign and they exited the FA Cup and Europa League.
However, there was still silverware to celebrate from his final season in the League Cup.
Virgil van Dijk’s header minutes from the end of extra-time beat Chelsea 1-0 to secure an unlikely triumph for Klopp’s understrength side.
Liverpool were severely weakened by injuries and absences at the Africa Cup of Nations and Asian Cup when they arrived at Wembley.
But Klopp’s faith in a clutch of teenagers paid off as they helped turn the tide in Liverpool’s favour during extra-time before Van Dijk’s stooping header broke the deadlock.
“It was a win-win situation from the first day. I enjoyed each second of it,” Klopp said recently.
“The responsibility and love that grew over the years is a big part of the decision I made, so I’m absolutely fine and at peace with the decision.”
Manchester City kept the heat on Premier League leaders Arsenal on Sunday, seeing off a feisty challenge from Nottingham Forest after Mikel Arteta’s men held their nerve to beat Tottenham.
A captivating three-way title race has become a duel between Pep Guardiola’s City and Mikel Arteta’s Gunners, who are determined to make amends for last season’s late collapse.
Arsenal are on 80 points with just three matches to go, one point clear of City, but the champions crucially have a game in hand and remain firm favourites.
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EPL Wrap: Gunners fire against Spurs | 02:11
The Gunners raced into a 3-0 lead at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the early kick-off on Sunday, surviving a late fright to win 3-2 and temporarily move four points clear at the top of the table.
City, though not at their dominating best, battled past profligate Forest, who are fighting for their lives, with goals from Josko Gvardiol and Erling Haaland.
Croatia defender Gvardiol opened the scoring, heading in Kevin De Bruyne’s corner shortly after the half-hour mark, and Haaland coolly slotted home after another assist from the impressive De Bruyne in the 71st minute to make it 2-0.
But Forest, who remain just one point clear of the drop zone with three games to play, will rue a number of squandered opportunities, including two glaring misses from forward Chris Wood.
Guardiola was relieved that his team had come out on top but warned against complacency in the final weeks of the season as they hunt a domestic trophy double.
He does not believe his team can afford to drop any points as they chase an unprecedented fourth straight English top-flight title.
“We prefer they (Arsenal) lose, we cannot control what they do, they make a good result,” said the City boss, whose team are now unbeaten in 31 matches in all competitions.
“Four games left, I don’t think we can lose any points and we know exactly what we have to do.”
Nuno Espirito Santo’s Forest, staring at the trap door, will desperately hope to recover at least one point from their appeal against a four-point deduction for breaking Premier League financial rules.
EPL WRAP: Salah, Klopp fiery exchange | 03:11
Arsenal know if City win their remaining games, they cannot be caught but they show no signs of wilting under intense pressure.
Arteta’s men silenced the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with a three-goal blast before halftime.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s own goal put Arsenal ahead before Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz netted to leave Arsenal in complete control.
Cristian Romero and Son Heung-min struck for Tottenham after the interval to set up a nervous finish, but the visitors clung on by their fingertips.
Arteta believes his team are better equipped to win the title than last season, when they stumbled badly in the run-in, having been eight points clear at one stage.
The Spaniard revealed he was hoping for divine intervention in the nervy closing stages against Spurs.
“I was praying,” he said.
“There were so many Spurs players in the box. It was a really emotional game. We had to dig in and suffer and react. I’m very pleased with the way the team has done it.”
He added: “The margins are so small. Don’t get carried away with yourself. We want to be better. There are margins for improvement. Go again against Bournemouth because it’s going to be really tough.”
Defeat for fifth-placed Tottenham dealt a huge blow to their chances of qualifying for next season’s Champions League.
They remain seven points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa, though they have two games in hand.
Liverpool were in the box seat in the title race just weeks ago but have won just one of their past five matches and Jurgen Klopp will almost certainly have to content himself with just the League Cup in his final season at Anfield.
Elsewhere on Sunday, Bournemouth beat Brighton 3-0 with goals from Marcos Senesi, Enes Unal and Justin Kluivert to set a new club Premier League points record.
