The 11 Aussies to watch this NBA season
There are more Aussies playing in the NBA now than ever before. As the new season commences, we take a look at the homegrown names capable of making headlines
By Brad Nash
FOR A COUNTRY as small as Australia, where junior basketball programs must compete with their AFL, NRL, Union, soccer and cricket counterparts, we have a long, proud history of punching well above our weight when it comes to sending local talent Stateside. Even by our standards, however, Australian representation in the NBA is in the midst of a golden era, with thrilling draft prospects, grizzled veterans and potential all-stars alike all flying the green and gold in the world’s biggest basketball league.
Now, a new season is upon us, with a record number of Aussies taking part and our home-grown talent generating more buzz than ever across the league. Can Dyson Daniels and Josh Giddey continue their ascendence after career-best seasons? Will another young star make the leap to become Australian basketball’s new poster boy? Will Ben Simmons make a return?
Here’s everything you need to know, and which players to keep tabs on.
1. Josh Giddey, PG, Chicago Bulls
Fresh off of signing a huge, $100 million contract with the Chicago Bulls, Giddey looks set to carry his momentum from a strong 2024-25 campaign into the new season. The 23-year-old guard put up career highs in rebounds, assists and steals last year, while also becoming a more efficient shooter. He has the keys to the Bulls’ franchise and consequently will have higher expectations this season. But as one of the brightest young stars of Australian basketball, Giddey should be up to it.
2. Dyson Daniels, SG, Atlanta Hawks
Dyson Daniels revived his career last season after being traded by the New Orleans Pelicans to the Atlanta Hawks. In Atlanta, Daniels established himself as a day one started and lockdown defender, ultimately winning defensive player of the year. Now recognised as one of the league’s premier perimeter defenders, Daniels will look to continue to develop as a scorer as the Hawks attempt to emerge as a playoff threat in the new season.
3. Dante Exum, Guard, Dallas Mavericks
Dante Exum’s road to the top has been long and winding. A former lottery pick now almost a decade into his career, injury and poor form had the Melburnian hovering on the precipice of utter obscurity. A two-year stint playing in Europe rejuvenated the 30-year-old, however, and Exum now finds himself as a key rotation piece in a Dallas Mavericks side that will be bordering on another playoff berth after landing number one pick, Cooper Flagg. With starting point guard Kyrie Irving (who we’re excluding from this list, as he has never and will never play for Australia despite being born here) out with injury for the first few months of the season, expect Exum to have a more important role.
4. Josh Green, Wing, Charlotte Hornets
Let’s get one truth out of the way – the Charlotte Hornets aren’t very good, nor are they likely to be any time soon. But Josh Green at least makes them more watchable for Australian fans. Having been traded by the Mavericks, an injury-riddled, inconsistent first season with the Hornets left a lot to be desired. Time is running out for Green to establish himself as an impact player in the NBA, but we’re holding out hope that he’ll have a Dyson Daniels-esque resurgence.
5. Johnny Furphy, SF, Indiana Pacers
There’s a sense of tempered excitement surrounding Johnny Furphy, a towering wing who went to the Indiana Pacers in the second round of last year’s draft. He spent most of rookie season in the G-League, but showed promise as a future starter in brief appearances for the Indiana Pacers. He even played in the Finals, sporadically. Now that the Pacers have lost a number of key contributors to injury, trades and free agency, Furphy could be in for a larger role in his sophomore season.
6. Joe Ingles, SF, Minnesota Timberwolves
Yes Joe Ingles is, somehow, still in the NBA. The 38-year-old is more of a coach than a player these days, serving as a crucial mentor on a young Timberwolves squad. That doesn’t sound to bad for us. Getting paid millions to sit in the front row at NBA games? We’d take that job any day of the week.
7. Jock Landale, C, Memphis Grizzlies
After struggling for minutes with an increasingly competitive Houston Rockets team, Jock Landale has signed with the Memphis Grizzlies, where he should be a nice rotation piece. Landale is still waiting for the right opportunity to prove he’s capable of being a consistent starter. Time will tell if he gets that shot with the Grizzlies.
8. Matisse Thybulle, Wing, Portland Trailblazers
Matisse Thybulle has established himself as one of the best 3&D players in the NBA. Previously known solely for his lockdown defensive abilities, Thybulle has added above average three-point shooting to his repertoire. To the basketball-averse, these words might look like binary code, but just know that players of such a skillset are a hot commodity. Thybulle will be hoping for a bounce back season after a few inconsistent years marred by injury.
9. Duop Reath, C, Portland Trailblazers
After a breakout 2023-24 season, Duop Reath was mostly supplanted in the Blazers, rotation by an influx of young big men. Now in a contract year, Reath will need to prove he belongs in the NBA to earn new deal or impress another team.
10. Rocco Zikarsky, C, Minnesota
At seven feet and four inches tall, rookie center Rocco Zikarsky is one of the tallest players in the NBA. Drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round of this year’s draft, Zikarsky is likely to spend most of his rookie season in the G-League before carving out a more significant role once. he develops.
11. Tyrese Proctor, Guard, Cleveland Cavaliers
A three-year starter at Duke (a very prestigious college team, for those who aren’t in the know), Tyrese Proctor put together a string of impressive performances at the Summer League. He’s since dropped 14 points in his first preseason game and looks like he’ll become a rotation piece for the Cavs sooner rather than later. Drafted in the second round in July, it looks like we could have another Australian star on our hands.
Who is the best Australian NBA player?
Shane Heal, Andrew Bogut and Andrew Gaze are all worth a shout, but in terms of NBA-level success, Patty Mills is widely regarded as Australia’s best-ever player. He sustained a high level of play for well over a decade and played a key role in guiding the 2014 San Antonio Spurs to the NBA title. Known as outstanding shooter, he’s credited with improving every team he’s played for, with a career and reputation no Australian before him has managed to accumulate.
Luc Longley remains the NBA’s most decorated Australian, having won three NBA championships as part of Michael Jordan’s legendary Chicago Bulls team of the mid-late ’90s. The towering centre operated outside of the spotlight occupied by stars like Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman, but with three rings and a decade of success in the NBA across four different teams, he still stands, in terms of accolades at least, as Australia’s greatest NBA player.
How many Australian basketball players are in the NBA?
There are currently 14 rostered Australian players in the NBA, 11 of whom occupy full-time roster slots. The other three, Lachlan Olbrich (Chicago Bulls), Luke Travers (Cleveland Cavaliers), and Alex Toohey (Golden State Warriors), will enter the 2025-26 season on two-way deals, meaning they’ll split their time between the NBA and their teams’ respective G-League affiliates.
What’s going on with Ben Simmons?
It’s fair to say that no Australian basketballer in history has generated more hype, and subsequently more disappointment, than Ben Simmons. A consensus number one pick once touted as a generational prospect, Simmons’ fall from grace after three consecutive all-star years, brought about through a combination of genuine injuries, contract impasses and prolonged speculation about his work ethic and mental state, has left him fairly unpopular with fans and critics alike.
Simmons is currently without an NBA contract and is therefore a free agent. Although, he insists he’s healthier than ever and ready to return to his all-star best. That being said, we’ve heard that before.
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