The Boomers’ dream of back-to-back Olympic medals was crushed early Wednesday morning, at the hands of reigning NBA Most Valuable Player, Nikola Jokic and a hard-as-nails Serbian outfit. 

After going up 24 points in the first half thanks to a vintage ‘FIBA Patty Mills’ performance, it seemed as if the Boomers would cruise into the medal rounds. 

20 minutes later, Australian fans could only watch in horror as Josh Giddey threw a turnover out of an inbounds play, ending the game, and their campaign. 

After a disappointing 2023 World Cup performance, hopes were high that the Paris would be a bounceback tournament for Australia, but a final 1-3 record and some incredibly disjointed play leaves a lot of questions for the team, with three years until their next major tournament. 

But what will the lineup look like when Australia take to the World Cup floor in 2027?

MORE: Josh Giddey on Boomers exit: ‘A tough pill to swallow’ 

Predicting the Boomers’ 2027 World Cup squad

The losses

Let’s work backwards, and start with the players that definitely won’t be included in the World Cup squad for Qatar. 

The major omissions will most likely be the ‘Rose Gold’ Boomers’ key players, with Patty Mills, Joe Ingles, and Matthew Dellavedova all pushing 40 by the time the next tournament rolls around.

Ingles has already stated that this Olympics will be his last go around with the team, and for a squad that needs to embrace the next generation, Mills and Dellavedova will more than likely forfeit their spots.

Nick Kay, too, will be 35, and having already seemingly lost a step in this Olympics, would feel unlikely to get a call-up in 2027. 

The locks 

The four cuts above leave us with eight remaining players from this roster, and of these it is fair to assume that barring significant injury or role reduction, five of them can be pencilled in to the WC squad. 

Josh Giddey and Jock Landale might as well book their plane tickets now, with this pairing being the key duo that lead Australia during incredibly effective periods of play in Paris. 

So too should Dyson Daniels and Dante Exum, with the dynamic wing/guard players coming up uber impactful on both ends throughout the tournament; Daniels was the Boomers premiere defensive force, while Exum operated as the secondary ball handler when Giddey sat. 

Josh Green played surprisingly few minutes in Paris; some pointed to fatigue after a gruelling NBA Finals run, while others point to a crossover of abilities with Daniels and Exum negating Greens’ possible impact. 

But none of this negates the fact that Green is only 23, an elite two-way wing fresh off his NBA Finals debut, who following a trade to the Charlotte Hornets looks set for an ever bigger role next season. Green has to be assumed to be part of the Boomers’ long term strategy, as they bring through the next generation of talent. 

On the bubble

With four definitely out and five definitely in, that leaves three current members of the Boomers’ Olympic campaign with cloudy futures as far as the national team is concerned: Duop Reath, Jack McVeigh, and Will Magnay. 

Reath was thought to be an absolute lock for the Australian team, but after a campaign in which he was played sparingly, including a DNP in the team’s sole win against Spain, the current Portland Trail Blazer’s future with the Boomers is definitely questionable. 

McVeigh, the reigning NBL Finals MVP, made his Boomers major tournament debut in Paris, and provided much needed shooting for the squad, filling what could be referred to as the ‘Chris Goulding role’.

Since winning the NBL title, he has signed a two-way deal with the Houston Rockets, but whether he sticks in the top league could have big implications on his spot going forward, considering the depth of Australian wings coming through the pipeline. 

Magnay is another one whose future with the team is uncertain; he was one of Goorjian’s first picks for the Paris team, and his size was a definite plus for the team, but some young up and coming Aussie big men might threaten to force him out of the team. 

Also included in this section are the last cuts from the 2024 team: Matisse Thybulle, Xavier Cooks, and Jack White – Chris Goulding’s age prevent him from making any more major Boomers teams. 

Boomers fans will be praying the bridge between Thybulle and Basketball Australia isn’t completely burnt, with ESPN reporting the relationship isn’t completely ruined, as his defensive impact was sorely missed in the team. 

Cooks too will have three years to make his case in the NBL, the league he has dominated in each of the last two seasons he’s played in it. His defensive versatility could definitely elevate the Boomers team, though his shooting leaves much to be desired. 

The same is true for Jack White – after making the 2023 World Cup squad, he bounced around the NBA and the G-League, ultimately not putting together enough playing time to really catch the selectors eye, but a return to the NBL could see big things to come from the 2023 NBA Champion. 

Generation Next

On top of the incredible talent that already exists in and around the Boomers, the 2027 World Cup will likely feature a number of new names as the next wave of Aussie stars emerge. 

Chief among these is Rocco Zikarsky, the 7’3″ Aussie expected to be a top-ten draft pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, and Australia’s go-to big man going forward. 

Other names include 2024 draftee Johnny Furphy, Luke Travers, Ben Henshall, Tyrese Proctor, Dash Daniels, Roman Siulepa and Alex Toohey, a buffet of young promising Aussie talent that will make the competition for spots on the Boomers roster even tougher to come by. 

There will also be the inevitable rising NBL talents that force their way onto the team, similar to McVeigh, or 2020 Olympian Nathan Sobey, names which we would never expect with three years to go. 

With Mills and Kay expected to walk off into the sunset, that’s at least two starting spots needing to be filled, and plenty of young players champing at the bit to fill them. 

The Ben Simmons situation

Yes, we’re doing this again. 

By the time the 2027 World Cup rolls around, Ben Simmons will be 31 years old, having not suited up for Australia since his Boomers debut in 2013. 

He has stated his intentions to play for the team in numerous Olympics and World Cups, but these plans have continuously fallen through, due to either preparations for the upcoming NBA seasons, or injury rehabilitations – he missed the Paris Olympics citing his injured back. 

At this point in time, it’s safer to assume Simmons won’t ever play for the Boomers than he will, and despite many Australian fans holding a candle for him, the team needs to be projected without him, and he can slot into the starting lineup if things work out. 

But man, wouldn’t it be nice to have him. Simmons would immediately become one of the best defenders in the tournament, he would give the Boomers size and athleticism they need, and a certain amount of star power. 

It’s never likely for the former number one overall pick to join the team, but could Qatar finally be his time?

New man in charge

Also worth noting is that the playing lineup will not be the only personnel change the Boomers see, with coach Brian Goorjian stepping away following the Olympics. 

A number of names have been tossed out for his replacement already, ranging from reigning NBL Coach of the Year Dean Vickerman, to current Boomers and San Antonio Spurs assistant Matthew Nielsen. 

MORE: Leading coaching candidates to replace Brian Goorjian

The next coach will have a lot of work to do to continue to solidify the identity of this next era of Boomers basketball, with Paris a natural stopping point for the ‘Rose Gold’ era and all that accompanies it. 

Whoever takes control, one thing is for certain – the next Boomers squad picked could very possibly be the most important team ever selected, as basketball fans Down Under wait for the new era to truly be ushered in. 

Predicted Boomers 2027 FIBA World Cup Squad 

• Josh Giddey
• Dante Exum
• Dyson Daniels
• Josh Green
• Jock Landale
• Rocco Zikarsky
• Johnny Furphy 
• Jack McVeigh 
• Tyrese Proctor 
• Duop Reath
• Will Magnay 
• Luke Travers
• Coach: Matthew Nielsen