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For me, there is a clear top three in terms of Aussies playing in Australia.
In no particular order;

Xavier Cooks
Keanu Pinder
Mitch Creek

(Honourable mentions to Bryce Cotton, who is now naturalised and still a force, and Chris Goulding, who can legit shoot, but has other holes)

Looking ahead to Summer League next year, Creek is possibly a wasted invite at this point. The guy is hard and tough and athletic, but he's 30, and has never developed an NBA level jumper. I love watching him work his way to 46 locally, and he has showed a bit in previous Summer Leagues, but he looks like a good second tier player to me.

Cooks and Pinder are more interesting, if positionally problematic. Both are around 27, and a fairly slender 6'8" to 6'9" in height, and both play the 4/5 locally.

Cooks can do just about everything, and plays a lot of point centre. He's also a decently flexible and smart defender. The one thing he can't do? Shoot. At least, not from range, in any consistent fashion.

Pinder has gone from inconsistent to both Most Improved AND MVP candidate this year. His mobility, ball handling and flexibility are pretty elite (by NBL standards) but a year ago I would have scoffed at the thought of including him on this list. Does he have another step?

Missing from the list?
Aron Baynes has been fine, but nothing special. Pinder and Cooks are heads and shoulders above h in terms of their play.
Luke Travers. I'm a Travers fan, and was suggesting teams should be inviting him to Summer League only to be shocked when the Cavs straight up drafted him. He showed why, in Summer League, with his Swiss army knife game, able to play 1 -4. He's been a touch better than he was last year (but more efficient, mostly) but for anyone expecting a leap, it hasn't happened. I think he's just one of those guys who is better amongst better players because he's a connective piece.

LewisnotMiller wrote:For me, there is a clear top three in terms of Aussies playing in Australia.
In no particular order;

Xavier Cooks
Keanu Pinder
Mitch Creek

(Honourable mentions to Bryce Cotton, who is now naturalised and still a force, and Chris Goulding, who can legit shoot, but has other holes)

Looking ahead to Summer League next year, Creek is possibly a wasted invite at this point. The guy is hard and tough and athletic, but he's 30, and has never developed an NBA level jumper. I love watching him work his way to 46 locally, and he has showed a bit in previous Summer Leagues, but he looks like a good second tier player to me.

Cooks and Pinder are more interesting, if positionally problematic. Both are around 27, and a fairly slender 6'8" to 6'9" in height, and both play the 4/5 locally.

Cooks can do just about everything, and plays a lot of point centre. He's also a decently flexible and smart defender. The one thing he can't do? Shoot. At least, not from range, in any consistent fashion.

Pinder has gone from inconsistent to both Most Improved AND MVP candidate this year. His mobility, ball handling and flexibility are pretty elite (by NBL standards) but a year ago I would have scoffed at the thought of including him on this list. Does he have another step?

Missing from the list?
Aron Baynes has been fine, but nothing special. Pinder and Cooks are heads and shoulders above h in terms of their play.
Luke Travers. I'm a Travers fan, and was suggesting teams should be inviting him to Summer League only to be shocked when the Cavs straight up drafted him. He showed why, in Summer League, with his Swiss army knife game, able to play 1 -4. He's been a touch better than he was last year (but more efficient, mostly) but for anyone expecting a leap, it hasn't happened. I think he's just one of those guys who is better amongst better players because he's a connective piece.

and I wish I could watch more Aussie ball.

NuggetsWY wrote:

LewisnotMiller wrote:For me, there is a clear top three in terms of Aussies playing in Australia.
In no particular order;

Xavier Cooks
Keanu Pinder
Mitch Creek

(Honourable mentions to Bryce Cotton, who is now naturalised and still a force, and Chris Goulding, who can legit shoot, but has other holes)

Looking ahead to Summer League next year, Creek is possibly a wasted invite at this point. The guy is hard and tough and athletic, but he's 30, and has never developed an NBA level jumper. I love watching him work his way to 46 locally, and he has showed a bit in previous Summer Leagues, but he looks like a good second tier player to me.

Cooks and Pinder are more interesting, if positionally problematic. Both are around 27, and a fairly slender 6'8" to 6'9" in height, and both play the 4/5 locally.

Cooks can do just about everything, and plays a lot of point centre. He's also a decently flexible and smart defender. The one thing he can't do? Shoot. At least, not from range, in any consistent fashion.

Pinder has gone from inconsistent to both Most Improved AND MVP candidate this year. His mobility, ball handling and flexibility are pretty elite (by NBL standards) but a year ago I would have scoffed at the thought of including him on this list. Does he have another step?

Missing from the list?
Aron Baynes has been fine, but nothing special. Pinder and Cooks are heads and shoulders above h in terms of their play.
Luke Travers. I'm a Travers fan, and was suggesting teams should be inviting him to Summer League only to be shocked when the Cavs straight up drafted him. He showed why, in Summer League, with his Swiss army knife game, able to play 1 -4. He's been a touch better than he was last year (but more efficient, mostly) but for anyone expecting a leap, it hasn't happened. I think he's just one of those guys who is better amongst better players because he's a connective piece.

and I wish I could watch more Aussie ball.

I'm a tragic. Most of what I watch in person is the next level down, which still features a lot of the top line Aussies (playing it in the off season).

Kinda cool to be in a venue with 1000 fans watching multiple NBL players going at it almost within touching distance.

They're pretty impressive. Top 5 FIBA team. Obv. in the past they've produced gems like Dellavedova or Bogut. I can see a superstar coming out of Australia. Australia is a top sports country in general, with a ton of gold medal endings to their name. Their defensive specialists have been successful.

Giddey is one of their latest finds. I even remember watching lesser guys like Jock Landale for a while. He had the potential to be a starting center. Thybulle is obv. great.


Unknowns

Cooks
Dyson Daniels
McDowell-White


Known busts (Buyer beware)

Thon Maker
Dante Exum

There are about 20 unknowns that are considered top players in the Australian league like Tyler Harvey.

We'll see. I think the Spurs have some ability to scout these prospects (Patty Mills), I really would like to see an Australian superstar in our NBA future.

Fundamentals21 wrote:They're pretty impressive. Top 5 FIBA team. Obv. in the past they've produced gems like Dellavedova or Bogut. I can see a superstar coming out of Australia. Australia is a top sports country in general, with a ton of gold medal endings to their name. Their defensive specialists have been successful.

Giddey is one of their latest finds. I even remember watching lesser guys like Jock Landale for a while. He had the potential to be a starting center. Thybulle is obv. great.


Unknowns

Cooks
Dyson Daniels
McDowell-White


Known busts (Buyer beware)

Thon Maker
Dante Exum

There are about 20 unknowns that are considered top players in the Australian league like Tyler Harvey.

We'll see. I think the Spurs have some ability to scout these prospects (Patty Mills), I really would like to see an Australian superstar in our NBA future.

Hey, if you want to start on some deep cuts, in terms of future prospects, keep an eye on Dash Daniels (Dyson's younger brother). Of course, locals in Bendigo are saying he's 'even more talented than Dyson', because that seems to be what always happens. But he has talent and size.

If you want a little older, Roman Siulepa is a physical swingman type, and Rocco Zikarsky is a big man-child with some skills.
The hard part for us over here is working out how much of their success is due to physical gifts that aren't common, versus what they'll be able to do against similarly athletically gifted youngsters. But a quick google on any of those guys will give you some flavour of what's coming.

Mojave King got drafted?
Yeah, so...I was just assuming no Aussies would be drafted this year. King had promise, but has done very little over the last few years to turn that into much of anything.
And yeah, I know he's a Kiwi. And an American. But he's also said he wants to play for the Boomers.

So, colour me confused.

(Happy to admit, didn't see much of his G-League season, and the dude was a seriously good U17 prospect, but for whatever reason his time in the pros in Australia didn't work out well.)

Fundamentals21 wrote:They're pretty impressive. Top 5 FIBA team. Obv. in the past they've produced gems like Dellavedova or Bogut. I can see a superstar coming out of Australia. Australia is a top sports country in general, with a ton of gold medal endings to their name. Their defensive specialists have been successful.

Giddey is one of their latest finds. I even remember watching lesser guys like Jock Landale for a while. He had the potential to be a starting center. Thybulle is obv. great.


Unknowns

Cooks
Dyson Daniels
McDowell-White


Known busts (Buyer beware)

Thon Maker
Dante Exum

There are about 20 unknowns that are considered top players in the Australian league like Tyler Harvey.

We'll see. I think the Spurs have some ability to scout these prospects (Patty Mills), I really would like to see an Australian superstar in our NBA future.

I had a question for you...
McDowell-White as one of your unknowns...that's a pretty good take for a non-Aussie/Kiwi...
Do you know him from his G League time?

He was always seen as one of the hot young prospects when he was a kid...big point guard, good athletic ability...but for a variety of reasons didn't quite make it, and got overshadowed by guys like Simmons (before him) and Giddey (after) who were also big lead guard types.
But he looks like a classic late bloomer to me. Guys game is substantially more mature, and he is strong now, largely injury free and in a better head space. He's been around forever, but he's only 25. I fully expected he'd be playing Summer League, and watching teams like Charlotte fail to run much of anything makes me wonder why they wouldn't get someone experienced (but still young) in like him to at least run Summer League, and compete to be a fifth guard. Perhaps he wasn't interested, I don't know.

For any unfamiliar, he was lead guard on the runners-up here last year, and was a major part of them improving, and challenging the glamour teams at the top.

LewisnotMiller wrote:

Fundamentals21 wrote:They're pretty impressive. Top 5 FIBA team. Obv. in the past they've produced gems like Dellavedova or Bogut. I can see a superstar coming out of Australia. Australia is a top sports country in general, with a ton of gold medal endings to their name. Their defensive specialists have been successful.

Giddey is one of their latest finds. I even remember watching lesser guys like Jock Landale for a while. He had the potential to be a starting center. Thybulle is obv. great.


Unknowns

Cooks
Dyson Daniels
McDowell-White


Known busts (Buyer beware)

Thon Maker
Dante Exum

There are about 20 unknowns that are considered top players in the Australian league like Tyler Harvey.

We'll see. I think the Spurs have some ability to scout these prospects (Patty Mills), I really would like to see an Australian superstar in our NBA future.

I had a question for you...
McDowell-White as one of your unknowns...that's a pretty good take for a non-Aussie/Kiwi...
Do you know him from his G League time?

He was always seen as one of the hot young prospects when he was a kid...big point guard, good athletic ability...but for a variety of reasons didn't quite make it, and got overshadowed by guys like Simmons (before him) and Giddey (after) who were also big lead guard types.
But he looks like a classic late bloomer to me. Guys game is substantially more mature, and he is strong now, largely injury free and in a better head space. He's been around forever, but he's only 25. I fully expected he'd be playing Summer League, and watching teams like Charlotte fail to run much of anything makes me wonder why they wouldn't get someone experienced (but still young) in like him to at least run Summer League, and compete to be a fifth guard. Perhaps he wasn't interested, I don't know.

For any unfamiliar, he was lead guard on the runners-up here last year, and was a major part of them improving, and challenging the glamour teams at the top.

Watch on YouTube

McDowell-White has turned into an excellent player, who looks like Australia's best option to replace Delly (when the time comes). None of our " bigger" name young guards bring what Delly offers the team, although Dyson certainly is an excellent defender, his ability to set up the offense is not there yet.

MDW can pick up the D in the back court, run P&R and be that general terrier that Delly has always been.

The best Aussie that is in the NBL this coming season will be...Jonah Bolden.

OxAndFox wrote:The best Aussie that is in the NBL this coming season will be...Jonah Bolden.

Probably , lets see how he comes back after a couple years off playing with crypto's.

Jonah Bolden has looked good but is still a head case and mystery you may not want to take the gamble with.

If he has his head screwed on he needs to replace Kay on the national team.

Having seen Rocco in a couple preseason games, he is definitely going to need a few years before we know what he has got.

Right now he doesn't even know how to set a screen.

Plus, the Bullets coach has no idea how to use him.

Other than that, he is so good damn slow and lumbering.

The big surprise is Lachlan Olbrich. Guy is the Aussie Franz Wagner and going to be a damn good player.