“We’ve got the pieces to do it. We back ourselves against anybody in the world. We’re not worried about who we’ve got to face.

“The guys, long before I was here, have been banging on the door for a while to get up on that podium, with the gold medal around the neck. You get that sense that these guys have that burning passion inside and want to take that next step forward.”

Giddey, 21, was traded from the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Chicago Bulls in June and is relishing more playmaking freedom with the Boomers.

As a precocious teenager, he missed out on selection for the last Olympics in Tokyo.

“As an Australian kid, I think representing your country in an Olympics is probably the pinnacle of basketball,” Giddey said.

“Obviously everyone wants to play in the NBA, but it’s a different feeling when you get to come here and wear the green and gold and do it with your mates. You only get to go once every four years, so it’s a pretty rare opportunity to be here. The talent level, obviously, is world class.”

Giddey scored 20 points to go with eight assists and six rebounds against France but will be disappointed in committing seven turnovers.

“I think we’ve had a great preparation,” Giddey said.

“We’ve had great momentum going forward into Paris and we’re excited to hit the ground running in Lille. I think it kind of speaks volumes of how good basketball’s got in Australia that we have NBA talent and elite players from around the world missing out on this team. The talent that we’ve had in Australian basketball is, in my opinion, as good as it’s ever been.”

The USA, meanwhile, held off World Cup champions Germany 92-88 in London on Tuesday (AEST) in their final tune up before the Games.

LeBron James scored the final 11 points for the Americans down the stretch after being announced earlier in the day as the nation’s male flagbearer.

“On paper, obviously they’re the most talented team,” Giddey said.

“It’s not a secret to anybody. I think the difference is these guys have never played together. A lot of these other countries have had a core that’s been together for years. They’re also very talented.

“They’re going to be tough to beat for anybody. But as I said, we’re confident with the guys that we have, the group that we have, how together we are as a unit, that we can go against anybody in the world.”

Boomers legend Shane Heal told Stan Sport that Australia were genuine contenders to back up Tokyo bronze with another medal in Paris.

“We’ve got legitimate NBA superstars,” Heal said.

“But I think America have to win gold. I think they’ve just got too much talent, too much experience. They’re covered in every single position with some of the superstars like Steph Curry and LeBron James, they’re going to be too strong.

“I actually think Australia’s a dark horse because I don’t think outside of Australia we’re expected to win a medal. But I think we’ve got the capabilities if everything goes right, that we can medal. I think Giddey is going to be able to take this country and this team forward and how he plays may very well decide how the team performs in the end.”