Ben Simmons was one of the most hyped Australian basketball players when he first burst onto the scene in the late 2010s and was drafted as the number one pick in the 2016 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers.

However, after a promising first couple of years, Simmons has failed to reach his potential both in the NBA as well as on the international stage.

Despite promising on multiple occasions to represent Australia at major tournaments, he has failed to follow through.

The Sporting News looks at if it will be a story of the same for the upcoming Paris Olympics.

MORE: Complete list of Australian 2024 Olympic athletes | Boomers record at the Olympics

Is Ben Simmons playing at the Olympics?

Ben Simmons will once again not be playing at the Olympics for the Boomers, with the Brooklyn Nets man ruled out of the rest of the 2023/24 NBA season in March due to a back injury.

Simmons had struggled to be a constant presence in the Nets rotation all season, which has been a theme of his NBA career in recent years.

In a statement, the Nets said, “Ben Simmons will remain out for the remainder of the season while he consults with specialists and explores treatment options for the nerve impingement in his lower back.”

Given his lack of game-time beforehand and the need to recover, it was always a long shot for him to be in contention for the Boomers side, and that’s before taking into account his personal history with the team.

At the two previous Olympics campaigns, he openly turned down the chance to represent the Boomers due to focusing on either college or NBA basketball, impacting his standing with Australian fans.

Australian Boomers roster for the Olympics

Matisse Thybulle has been a shock omission from the final 12-man Boomers roster for the men’s basketball competition at the Paris Olympics.

The 27-year-old, who was part of the side that won the bronze medal in Tokyo, was expected to be named in the side due to his defensive ability and NBA experience, however coach Brian Goorjian decided to cut him and other in-form players including Chris Goulding and Xavier Cooks.

With Thybulle being out of the side, there are now significant concerns about Australia’s defensive capabilities, with Thybulle being seen as a lynchpin to the Boomers defence.

This means extra responsibility will fall on Josh Green to fill this role in the team, and there will be pressure on the likes of Nick Kay and Will Magnay to justify their selections, with discussion centred around how the likes of Goulding and Cooks were unfortunate not to be selected.

Australia Boomers draw, schedule for Paris Olympics

The Boomers have a very tough group, coming up against Canada, Greece and Spain in Group A.

Their first game on 27th July will be against Spain, who they lots of Olympic history with, before they face Canada on 30th July.

Their third and final match of the group stage will be against Giannis Antetokounmpo and Greece.

The gold medal match for the tournament is taking place on 10th August.

2024 Men’s Olympic basketball Gold medal odds

All odds courtesy of TAB