This year's NBA season tips off now, signaling the first time in a decade that Aussie two biggest hoops stars – Ben Simmons and Patty Mills – are unsigned.
Their absence indicates a changing of the guard, as Australian guard pair Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels step up as essential players for contending teams, with recently signed huge contracts making them some of the country's top athletic earners.
They aren't the only ones. A group of 14 Aussies are set to compete for playing time around the league, including experienced big men Jock Landale and Duop Reath, emerging wings in Johnny Furphy and Josh Green, to intriguing draftees like Tyrese Proctor and Rocco Zikarsky.
Following lengthy negotiations with the Chicago Bulls, the guard ultimately signed his rookie extension worth $100m ($153m) over four years recently. It's a major deal for the Melburnian, but in NBA terms it is affordable for Giddey’s position and profile as a primary ball-handler. Hesitation for the Bulls management to offer a max deal means the 23-year-old begins this year with much to prove.
Having been traded by the Thunder at the beginning of last season, Giddey watched as his old team charged to the title in his absence. As the Chicago look to reach the postseason in the less competitive East, he will have to show his scoring and defensive skills are elite-level or else he may slide towards the league's outskirts.
Daniels agreed to the identical contract as Giddey this week, and after his most-improved player award last year, the Atlanta player's trajectory has skyrocketed in Atlanta following his departure from the New Orleans. He is now lauded as one of the NBA's best defensive specialists, and topped the league in takeaways with three per game – over one full steal per game higher than the total of second place.
Playing next to flamboyant Trae Young in Atlanta, the 22-year-old can be successful this campaign as a playmaking option and elite defender as long as the team advance to the postseason. But if he can improve his three-point shooting, which was below league average last year, and keep enhance his passing and driving, he could become one of the league’s most well-rounded talents.
Indiana wing the rookie has emerged as a crowd favorite in the state following a succession of highlight-reel slam dunks in pre-season. His athletic displays led league figure Pat Beverley to label him as the “top Caucasian leaper we’ve seen in a long time”, and an invite to the mid-season slam dunk competition could be a possibility.
After playing just eight minutes per game over 50 appearances in his rookie campaign, the former college student is in the running for a Indiana lineup that might lean towards youth following injury to lead guard Tyrese Haliburton.
Playmaker Proctor dropped in the NBA Draft down to the second round, where playoff hopefuls the Cavaliers selected him. The Cavs are favourites to make the Finals from the East, so it would be unusual for a rookie drafted in the late picks to see much court time. But the Australian has seen time in pre-season, and his pro-level shooting gives him a chance to contribute.
Veteran big man Jock Landale has a chance to secure the starting five position in the Grizzlies given highly-touted Zach Edey will be out for the start of the campaign after a surgical procedure.
In Portland, Duop Reath is the experienced reserve to youthful big men Donovan Clingan and Yang Hansen, but could play regular action if the Blazers find themselves in the hunt. His fellow player Matisse Thybulle is expected to be deployed as a defensive spark in a reserve role.
In the Hornets, Josh Green's summer shoulder procedure has resulted in him without a timeline to return. The player still has a contract for next season, but won’t want to give his teammates at the developing Hornets an excessive advantage. And injury has already slowed Dante Exum, who has a knee complaint and has missed key pre-season opportunities in Dallas.
Additionally, there are those who are unlikely to see a lot of, if any, court time this season. Veteran Joe Ingles is returned in the Timberwolves, but appears to be primarily a mentor ensuring Anthony Edwards in check.
Rookie Rocco Zikarsky is expected to be developed by Minnesota Timberwolves through their G-League team. Fellow first-year players Lachlan Olbrich in Chicago and Alex Toohey for the Warriors are also in the slow cooker, while the more seasoned Luke Travers will be aiming to earn minutes alongside Proctor for the Cavs.
If there were any doubts Mills was set to retire, he addressed it with a training clip posted on his accounts recently, showing the veteran is still sharp and determined on securing another league deal.
What Simmons is thinking is anyone’s guess after an off-season in his homeland, going fishing and playing with a Sherrin. Although he took to social media recently to reject suggestions he was done, the 29-year-old – an elite player as recently as 2021 – has yet to surface.
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