Less than one year on from the 2023 FIBA World Cup, which saw the Boomers crash out in the second round, it’s all eyes on the 2024 Olympics for Brian Goorjian and his men.

The underwhelming World Cup result, coupled with the historic bronze medal finish at the 2020 Olympics, have set the bar very high for the Australian men’s team in Paris, but which 12 players will be receiving a boarding pass to Paris?

As Goorjian stated in The Herald Sun, the Boomers are “going through change and I’ve got open eyes and it’s about the players that mesh together the best.

“When you put all the names out, someone has to drop off the tree and that’s why the camp and the warm-up games are important.”

Casting our eyes to the matchups with China on July 2 and July 4, here’s how the 17-man squad looks.

Australia’s two games against China will be live on ESPN from 7.30pm AEST on Tuesday and Thursday.

Xavier Cooks 
The returning Sydney King wrapped up a solid season in Japan’s B.League last month, with season averages of 13.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.1 blocks and 1.3 steals.

Cooks received regular minutes at the 2023 World Cup, with a standout 24-point, 16-rebound showing against Japan in group play, but finished the tournament with just 13 minutes and 14 minutes against Slovenia and Georgia, respectively. 

That may indicate that Goorjian’s trust in the Ballarat-born forward started to fade as the tournament went on, but as long as Cooks can show off his athleticism at the rim and on defence, he should be a shoo-in for the final 12.

Dyson Daniels 
The 21-year-old is coming off his sophomore season with the New Orleans Pelicans, during which he averaged 5.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.4 steals in 22.3 minutes per game. Those were increases, albeit minor, across the board on his rookie year, helping push his case for Boomers selection. With a grand total of just 10 minutes of game time at last year’s World Cup, it’s clear that Daniels is no guarantee in Goorjian’s eyes. 

Nobody will be questioning the defensive chops of the young wing, but he will be wanting to prove that he can consistently knock down shots from deep and that he can be a secondary ball handler if required.

Matthew Dellavedova
Delly had a season to remember in his return to the NBL last season, taking Melbourne United to the Championship Series and providing some memorable, clutch plays along the way.

Although he’s not an elite shooter, he showed improvement in his shooting efficiency in NBL24, compared to his NBL22 campaign, and he will need his shots to fall against China if he is to find his way onto the Olympics roster. Excluded from the World Cup squad, Dellavedova will also need to show that, at 33 years old, he still has what it takes when it comes to playmaking and defence at the international level.

One thing’s for sure though, if Delly gets his chance in Paris, he’ll be busting his gut like he has at every stage of his career.

Dante Exum 
A lot has changed for Dante Exum since he last suited up for the Boomers. With an NBA Finals run with the Dallas Mavericks, alongside Josh Green, under his belt, Exum’s place in Goorjian’s final 12 is a near-certainty. His size, playmaking, shooting and respectable defence make him a valuable piece to this Boomers team and, barring injury, he will be getting on the plane to Paris.

Josh Giddey 
Speaking of locks to make the Paris 2024 roster, Josh Giddey is the first name on that list. Goorjian has all but confirmed as much, telling Fairfax “there’s an excitement about being with his mates in the green and gold and having the ball in his hands,” indicating that – to nobody’s surprise – Giddey will again be the lead guard and the key offensive cog for the Boomers in 2024. 

Chris Goulding 
The NBL veteran found himself contending for one of the final spots on the World Cup roster last year when Goorjian was in the process of trimming down his roster. Fast forward almost 12 months, and CG43 finds himself in the same position as he looks ahead to the Olympics. At 35 years old, this will almost certainly be Goulding’s last crack at adding to the two Olympic Games on his CV. 

The United guard made the final cut for the World Cup squad last year, but played just 10 minutes across the tournament — the fewest of all Boomers — finding himself at the bottom of the rotation. That puts doubts around his Olympics spot, especially considering the continued rise of the likes of Daniels, Jack McVeigh and DJ Vasiljevic.

Goulding will need to display aggression on both ends of the floor in the two games against China — we know that he will put shots up if he gets the opportunity, and if they fall at John Cain Arena, Goorjian will have to strongly consider the sharpshooter in a team that doesn’t have outside shooting in spades.

Josh Green 
On the back of a solid season with the Mavericks, Green’s spot in the Olympic roster is all but guaranteed. He played a significant role in the NBA Finals, averaging 19 minutes for Jason Kidd’s team, and was particularly effective in Game 5, scoring 14 points on 4-6 shooting from deep.

With that experience at the highest level under his belt, Green’s athleticism, defence and slashing will be called upon in Paris, regardless of how he performs against China.

Joe Ingles 
Coming off his 10th NBA season, Slow-mo Joe presents a unique case for Boomers selection. With four World Cups and three Olympics to his name, Ingles is one of the most experienced players in this 17-man squad, and while that lengthy history with the national team will be looked upon favourably by the Boomers selectors, there will be many more factors that go into their decision. 

Averaging 21 minutes per game at last year’s World Cup, the crafty forward was seen as an important piece of Australia’s rotation then, but with near-career lows in minutes and points this season with the Orlando Magic, and with Goorjian admitting there has been somewhat of a changing of the guard since the World Cup, there is cause for concern when it comes to Ingles’ place in the Boomers’ roster.

Expect him to get relatively big minutes against China to prove he can still be the disruptive team defender that he is known for being, while also getting the chance to show that he still has the shooting and the playmaking that made him such a valuable part of this team for the past 17 years.

Nick Kay 
Having been plying his trade in Japan’s B.League for the Shimane Susanoo Magic for the past three years, Kay may have slipped off of many Aussies’ radars — but not Goorjian’s. The four-man finished the 2023/24 season with averages of 16.1 points, 8.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.4 steals, proving that he is still very much worthy of Boomers selection.

After averaging 23.5 minutes — third-most in the team — at last year’s World Cup, Kay had a big role on the defensive end, often matching up with the opponent’s best wing or big, and that may well be the case again in Paris.

His rare blend of size, IQ, experience, playmaking and three-point shooting make him a valuable asset for the Boomers, and as long as he can still show that he is capable on the defensive end in camp and against China, he will be included in the final 12.

Jock Landale 
As part of the Boomers’ new-look leadership group, alongside Exum and Giddey, per The Herald Sun, Landale is also likely a lock for the final 12. A case of cruel misfortune saw the Houston Rockets big man miss last year’s World Cup, after rolling his ankle prior to a warm-up game against South Sudan, but as long as history doesn’t repeat itself, Landale will be a part of the Olympics team.

Will Magnay 
One of two JackJumpers in this 17-man group, Will Magnay will have a point to prove going into these two games against China. The 6’10” centre had his best season as a pro in NBL24, winning a championship and finishing the year with averages of 10.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 19.5 minutes per game, and more of that will need to be on display at John Cain Arena if he wants to don a Boomers jersey in Paris.

As perhaps the best rim protector on this list, Magnay will need to flex his muscle in that facet of the game, as well as provide value as a roll man and an all-round defensive communicator. 

Jack McVeigh 
It’s fair to say that Magnay’s fellow JackJumper also enters these warm-up games as a long-shot for the final 12, but good luck telling that to Jack McVeigh. Hot off a standout NBL24, in which McVeigh led Tasmania to its first-ever NBL championship, winning Championship Series MVP in doing so, he solidified himself as one of the best ballers in the nation at the moment.

The doggedness of McVeigh’s play will no doubt appeal to Goorjian, and his efficient scoring, which saw him hit 40 per cent of his three-point attempts in NBL24 and finish with a 63 per cent true shooting percentage, brings a skillset that isn’t plentiful among this playing group.

We know that McVeigh will bring the energy, but the rangy forward will need his outside shot to fall and will need to hold his own on the defensive end if he is to be strongly considered as one of the new additions to the Boomers.

Patty Mills 
An icon of Australian basketball, Patty Mills will be one of the final 12. ‘Boomers Patty’ is one of the best sights in international basketball, and while he may not get massive burn in the lead-up to the games, expect the hot-shooting Mills to get plenty of touches when the Olympics tip off.

Duop Reath 
Reath produced one of the feel-good stories of the 2023/24 NBA season, entering the league as a 27-year-old rookie with the Portland Trail Blazers after showing off his skills at the 2023 World Cup. The South Sudan-born big man provided value to the Blazers, finishing the season with per-game averages of 17.9 minutes, 9.1 points and 3.7 rebounds. It was his three-point shooting that separated him from Portland’s other centres, and while the Boomers have the luxury of having multiple stretch bigs, Reath’s combination of size, shooting and shot-blocking should see him in the final 12.

Matisse Thybulle
Speaking of Blazers, Thybulle will also be hoping to maintain his spot in the Boomers’ roster come Olympics time. An up-and-down World Cup campaign saw Thybulle’s minutes diminish as the tournament went on, with just 14 minutes in the penultimate game against Slovenia before a low of 10 minutes in the final game against Georgia. 

Like the other forwards battling for selection, a lot will come down to how he shoots the ball and his defence. His experience under Goorjian and his quality as an off-ball defender may give him the leg-up, but below-par showings at John Cain Arena may be enough to see Thybulle’s place under threat.

DJ Vasiljevic 
Vasiljevic finds himself on the outside looking in, trying to force his way into the final 12. Any NBL fan will be well aware of the hot shooting that the 36er can have on his day, and that is what he will need to show off in the lead-up to the Olympics. Getting some lead guard reps under Scott Ninnis in NBL24, Vasiljevic had a career-best year in assists, averaging 3.2 per game, which may pique Goorjian’s interest.

Most of the Boomers’ guards don’t have the long-range skills that the former King possesses, and Vasiljevic will almost certainly try to show that off against China should he get the chance, but with no major-tournament international experience and a strong lineup of guards around him, he’ll need to make every post a winner.

Jack White 
One of three Boomers to have averaged less than 10 minutes per game at the 2023 World Cup, White will have a point to prove in the two games at John Cain Arena.

The former Denver Nugget ended up signing with the Memphis Grizzlies at the tail end of the 2023/24 regular season, averaging 1.5 points, three rebounds and one steal in 16 minutes of play, after playing seven games with the G League’s South Bay Lakers. That lack of significant game time may be damaging for White’s chances of making the final cut, but his ability to switch onto the perimeter, knock down threes and provide sound defence across the floor is a real drawcard.

One of the more understated players of this 17-man roster, White will be aware that his role will be small against China, but if he does his job of defending well, screening and making his open shots, he will give himself a good chance of earning selection.