LILLE, FRANCE — As Dyson Daniels lay on his back holding his right knee, the Boomers Olympic campaign was hanging by a thread.

Trailing to Greece early in the second quarter, Daniels right foot slipped awkwardly while bringing the ball across the halfway line, with the dynamic guard falling to the floor in immediate pain.

As the 21-year-old was helped to his feet and slowly made his way to the bench and then the locker room, teammate Dante Exum was among the first to comfort him.

“For me, it’s always taking you back, all the memories rushed for me,” Exum explained.

“You just hope and pray and hold your breath that nothing has happened.”

Exum’s response was appropriate, with the now veteran Boomers guard tearing his left ACL while representing the country back in 2014. At the time, Exum had just come off his rookie NBA season in Utah, after being selected with the fifth overall pick in the previous year’s draft.

In today’s iteration of the Boomers, Daniels has become the future, lumped with the toughest perimeter defensive assignment. After playing minimal minutes at last year’s FIBA World Cup, Daniels has rocketed up the pecking order to be among the most important players on the roster.

As Daniels emerged from the locker room and jogged to the bench, a sense of relief rang through the Australian camp. He checked back into the game with 5:19 to play, finishing the night with 11 points, six rebounds, eight assists and a steal in 27 minutes per game.

With 4:20 remaining in the second quarter against Canada, Daniels checked into the game.

Guarding RJ Barrett one-on-one on the left wing, Barrett backed Daniels into the post, bumped and pump faked with Daniels refusing to bite. He tried another pump fake, still Daniels didn’t bite. With the shot clock now down to four, Barrett attempted a fade away jump shot. Daniels blocked the shot, retained the ball and went the other way in a world class display of individual defence and athleticism.

“F— yeah. Yeah. He’s elite at what he does,” Joe Ingles said of Daniels’ defence.

“I think if you aren’t there every day and seeing what he does on a daily basis, it’s hard to see that impact.”

In the tournament opener against Spain, Daniels had the primary assignment on Lorenzo Brown. In an era where positionless basketball and switching defences are more prominent than ever, Daniels played Brown straight up, harassing him the entire length of the floor and fighting over any and every screen.

“His ability to move his feet and keep guys in front [sets him apart],” Australian big man Nick Kay said.

“As a screen defender, I almost don’t need to be there because he finds a way to get over those screens. When your primary guard is doing that kind of thing, it really sets the tone.”

Fellow Olympic debutant and one of the new members of the Boomers program, Jack McVeigh paused, shook his head for a few seconds and considered his next words when asked about Daniels on that end of the floor.

“Unbelievable,” McVeigh started. “From the moment camp started he was our guy. We were like ‘woah’. Watching him get after it every day, picking it up full court, being a pest. He looks comfortable with the ball in his hands, making big shots.

“He’s our guy.”

With their place in the Olympic quarterfinals punched, the Boomers boarded the bus to head to Paris at approximately 10am on Saturday morning.

After two weeks in the smaller athlete’s village in Lille, the team would make the two-hour journey to the main Olympic village in Paris.

“Some of the rookies, this is their first Olympics. I said welcome to the Olympics,” Exum said with a laugh.

“The vibe of all the athletes and seeing everyone, you can see it’s a bit of excitement. For them, it’s exciting to see a bunch of athletes, the best in their sport and ready to compete.”

With two days to settle into the new surroundings, Daniels and the Boomers now know they will battle Nikola Jokic and Serbia for a spot in the semifinals, likely against Team USA.

While the pressure and expectation continue to be ratcheted up on the Boomers, head coach Brian Goorjian knows that for better or worse, the young backcourt of Daniels and Josh Giddey are carrying a significant burden on this roster.

“We’re starting two guys in the backcourt. They’re 21 years old. They are playing 30 minutes a game and they need guidance; they need support,” Goorjian said.

While Goorjian and his staff are aware of outside noise regarding team selection, he points to the two young stars as a primary reason for the inclusion of Matthew Dellavedova and Joe Ingles. Dellavedova and Ingles have played minimal minutes thus far, but can be seen constantly communicating on the bench, during practices and heading to the locker room.

“I think there’s advantages to being young. Being your first time going through this, you’re kind of fearless, you haven’t felt the pain,” Dellavedova said.

“There’re positives to it. I think they’ve done an incredible job so far. Have brought great energy and enthusiasm. Dyson has been incredible defensively, Giddey has been getting in the lane, I thought he was unbelievable rebounding the last game, it’s been fun playing with both of those guys.”

For the majority of last year’s FIBA World Cup, Daniels remained in his warmups on the bench, totaling just 10 minutes of playing time across five games.

“When we went to the World Cup, I told him when we sat down that he wasn’t going to play a lot, but he was coming into this for the Olympics,” Goorjian said.

“You got to watch the scouts, go to the shootarounds, I wanted him to touch it because I sense he was going to be our guy in France.”

After the initial practices in training camp with the extended squad. Goorjian and his staff were adamant on one thing.

“It’s time.”

From the end of the bench to key starter within 12 months, Daniels has blown away his teammates, even flashing his significant offensive potential that has yet to be explored in the NBA.

“He’s been playing at the high level the whole time he’s been with us. Early on in camp we asked him just to be a defender, but now he’s stepped into an offensive role,” Jock Landale said.

“We know he can provide one of those top three, top four punches. He’s really growing right now and it’s fun to watch.”

Daniels is fourth in scoring (11.3 points per game), second for assists (4.3 per game) and third on the glass (6.3 rebounds per game), as he continues to impact the game across the board.

“He’s been unreal,” Ingles said.

“Then when you get the offence and getting to the rim. He’s dangerous.”