From the flag bearing shooting guard Patty Mills to the enigmatic Ben Simmons, Australia will have a host of ballers to chat about come NBA season 2021/22.
The Bet Deluxe crew has picked out the Aussie lads who you need to keep an keen eye.
Ben Simmons
Philadelphia 76ers
He is never without controversy or headlines.
Already making front-page across NBA websites, Ben Simmons’ time at Philadelphia looks all but over with the 25-year-old Australian wanting a trade.
But with all fervour and chatter about his refusal to suit up for the 76ers in the upcoming season, there is no denying his talent.
Ben Simmons is one of the best defensive players in the league and is handsomely paid to be that with a contract worth just over $35,000,000.
He is currently ranked as the fourth best defensive player with a rating of 106.1.
From a coaches perspective, Simmons was actually ranked as the number one defender in the league on coaches votes.
His, fast, strong and agile nature means he can defend all positions on the court making him a nightmare to come up against when attempting to score.
The only knock on his game is the jump shooting.
The 76ers point guard had one of his best seasons to date with the 2016 number one pick featuring on the All-Defensive first team and finishing second in voting for the Defensive Player of the Year award.
Patty Mills
Brooklyn Nets
Patty Mills is the golden boy of Australian basketball.
After captaining the Boomers to a first ever Olympic medal, the star shooting guard will take his talents to New York when he dons the black shirt of the Brooklyn Nets.
His well documented career of San Antonio came to an end last season after spending a decade with the Spurs.
Mills has become one of the most renowned three-point shooters in the game with his scoring bursts being an integral part of his success in the USA.
He will be overshadowed by Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden, but make no mistake, his three-point shooting ability is just as good those three stars.
Expect him to be an integral member of the squad as he pinch hits on limited minutes throughout the season.
Josh Giddey
Oklahoma City Thunder
The highly touted guard was picked up by Oklahoma City Thunder when it used it’s sixth pick of the 2021 draft.
At only 18-years-old, the potent Australian rounded out his NBL season with the Adelaide 36ers by averaging 10.9 points, 7.6 assists and 7.3 rebounds per game.
His time in America has not been without an early hiccup with the young prospect suffering an ankle injury only five minutes into NBA Summer League campaign.
He has since been put on ice in preparation for what is set to be a big season.
If his talent alone is anything to go by, he will become a pillar of this Oklahoma City Thunder rebuild.
His NBL experience is likely to pay immediate dividends when he steps out onto the court. The experience gained having faced fully-fledged senior basketballers should hold him in good stead similar to what it did with Lamelo Ball.
Dante Exum
Houston Rockets
After playing all 82 games for Utah Jazz in his debut season back in 2014, Dante Exum has battled with injury and form throughout his time in the NBA.
He moved on from the Jazz to land at Cleveland of which his time was short-lived and he became part of the James Harden deal that sent him to Houston early in the 2020/21 season.
He again struggled with injury through the year and failed to make an appearance for the Rockets.
A former pick five in the 2021 draft, Exum has the potential to be a starter for Houston after re-signing.
At 26 years old, he fits the mould for the rebuilding Rockets’ timeline and should slot in nicely alongside their young core of Jalen Green, Kevin Porter Jr. Jae’Sean Tate and Christian Wood.
Heading into what will be his seventh NBA season, he is one of the more experienced players on the roster and, should he remain injury free, will be an important part of the franchise going forward.
Joe Ingles
Utah Jazz
Joe Ingles capped off a brilliant 2020/21 season by finishing second in the ‘sixth man of the year’ for the dominant yet ultimately disappointing Utah Jazz.
He remains one of the premier shooters in the league but will need to take that extra step to take his squad to the next level if they wish to win a championship.
Ingles is also consistently one of the best plus-minus players in the league and will be an important cog should the Jazz find itself in a playoffs again this season.
The 33-year-old Australian brings in, to this season, a 2020/21 average of 12.1 points per game, 4.7 assists per game and 3.6 rebounds per game.
Jock Landale
San Antonio Spurs
Jock Landale’s rise amongst the ranks was recognised by the NBA when he was offered a contract by San Antonio Spurs.
Landale was rewarded for a championship winning season with the NBA Grand Final MVP for Melbourne United.
His 41 games in the campaign saw him notch up 16.4 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.
The announcement of his signing to the Spurs comes as no shock as he was an integral part of the Boomers bronze medal success at Tokyo earlier this year.
Standing at 211cm, he will be competing for the starting centre position with Jakob Poeltl.
Josh Green
Dallas Mavericks
Josh Green will don the Dallas Mavericks guernsey again this season after being snapped up with pick 18 in round one of the 2020 NBA draft.
His 39 games for the Mavericks last season would have done the world of good for development as he took to the court for an average of 11 minutes per match.
The 20-year-old was named in the Boomers squad that won bronze at the Olympics this year and sharing time around the likes of Patty Mills and Joe Ingles would have proven invaluable.
His story prior to being drafted and playing for Dallas and the Boomers is intriguing.
The shooting guard was forced to chose basketball over AFL after going through the GWS Giants Football Club academy and then opting to accept a scholarship from Saint Mary’s College in the NCAA Division 1 with a move to America with his family.
From Saint Mary’s he progressed to playing for Arizona in college basketball before being drafted to the NBA.
We are yet to get a true sample size as to what he is going to produce as a fully fledged senior player.
His progression this year is going to be one of close watch.
