Big Giddey question for Bulls; Mavericks could make tough call on luckless Exum — Aussies in NBA
There are less than two weeks left in the NBA regular season, with attention quickly turning towards the playoffs and there will be a fair few Australians in action in the post-season.
Here, foxsports.com.au looks at how all 15 Australians in the NBA are faring right now ahead of the final stretch.
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JOSH GIDDEY (Chicago Bulls)
He has cooled off a bit since hitting that buzzer beater against the Lakers, but otherwise Giddey has been on an absolute tear since the NBA’s All-Star break.
The numbers speak for themselves, with Giddey averaging 20.9 points, 9.8 rebounds and 8.9 assists in March.
You can read more about that in foxsports.com.au’s deep dive into Giddey’s mid-season turnaround, but the bigger question now is what it means for his future.
Giddey is a restricted free agent this summer. NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer reported on Tuesday that the Australian is “expected to seek a new multiyear deal that pays at least $30 million annually”.
It is hard to argue, at least based on his recent form, that Giddey isn’t worth that much. But what about Coby White?
He will likely command even more money and also enjoyed a stellar run in March, averaging 29.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists.
With that in mind, as Stein and Fischer posed, it begs the question of how much the Bulls front office reads into both Giddey and White’s recent success when negotiating contracts with the pair.
“How carried away do the Bulls dare get about some second-half success with nothing really on the line?,” they wrote.
“As my CHGO Sports colleague Matt Peck has been justifiably wondering aloud: Can White and Giddey legitimately form a backcourt to build around …. especially when re-signing White figures to be even more expensive?”
While there was talk the Bulls may have traded White before the deadline, it looks more likely at this point that Chicago will extend him given he is still only 25 years old and has evolved his game by getting to the rim more to become more than just a streaky shooter.
As for Giddey, the improved 3-point shooting isn’t necessarily sustainable but if he is at least able to shoot at an above-average level it will help ease concerns over his ability to play off the ball.
DYSON DANIELS (Atlanta Hawks)
Daniels continues to build his Defensive Player of the Year case, racking up five steals in his latest game and the Australian is currently on track to finish with the most in the NBA since 1992.
So, why is the Bendigo bandit considered an outside chance of taking home DPOY honours? Well, to put it simply, he plays in the wrong position and for the wrong team. For a more in-depth explanation on those points, foxsports.com.au broke down the case for and against Daniels on Tuesday.
The ‘Great Barrier Thief’ was also asked about the topic in a recent interview with HoopsHype, where he even admitted DPOY is a “big man’s award”.
“If you look at the big men in the NBA today, usually the past few years, it’s been a big man in that conversation who protects the rim and gets blocks,” Daniels said.
“Obviously, before Wemby went down, he was the frontrunner for the award. I think I do a little bit of everything on the floor.
“I protect the rim as a guard. I get steals. I defend well one-on-one and contest shots. I don’t want to talk about it too much. I let the people see it for themselves.”
At this stage, if Daniels wants to be a strong shot at winning the award, he probably should be talking himself up a little bit more.
But that isn’t his style. He is more of a quiet achiever, although there has been nothing quiet about the way he has evolved in Atlanta, and that evolution has more to do with his work on the offensive end.
Like Giddey, Daniels has also been getting to the rim more often and while his outside shot is still developing and unlikely to be a strength of his game, there has been a clear change in the 21-year-old after being traded by New Orleans.
Daniels puts it down to one thing.
“Confidence,” he told HoopsHype.
“Coach Quin has instilled confidence in me to play freely and be myself. My teammates have given me confidence as well. It’s just that my mindset has changed.
“I’ve come in wanting to be more aggressive and play more freely without any restrictions. I think it’s been more that my mindset has changed rather than anything between the two organisations.”
BEN SIMMONS (Los Angeles Clippers)
He hasn’t been in the playoffs since 2021 — and we all know how that ended.
But with the Clippers sitting eighth in the Western Conference, it finally looks like Simmons is about to return to the post-season.
It has been a long wait for Simmons, whose career has largely been derailed by injuries since that game and that play against the Atlanta Hawks in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
It will be difficult for the Clippers to get to that point in a competitive Western Conference, although they have been in great form as of late having won 11 of their past 12 games.
Kawhi Leonard is back and healthy. James Harden is playing at an All-Star level.
It eases the pressure on Simmons to be the guy like he was in his Philadelphia days
The role in Los Angeles is much more simple. As Simmons put it in an interview with The Athletic, now it is all about doing whatever he needs to help the Clippers “win”.
“I think early in my career with Philly, it was easy. I knew what I was doing from the start,” Simmons said.
“Especially when you come into a team, getting drafted with the No. 1 pick, there’s certain expectations. And then, Brooklyn’s kind of a rebuild, I’m going through injuries, just trying to be a good vet.
“I think here, it’s just — the goal is to win. So, do whatever I can to help the team to get the win. Whether it’s f—ing rebound the ball, diving on loose balls, defending. Get the ball to my guys. Whatever it is. Sticking to that.”
The physicality of Simmons’ game comes and goes. Sometimes he will attack the rim with force to remind people of the athleticism that made him a former first overall pick.
Other times he will pass it out to a teammate, although more often than not when he is doing that it is because passing it up is the right play.
That extra ball-playing option off the bench gives Ty Lue a much-needed primary facilitator for the second unit and the Clippers coach has given Simmons looks as both the defacto point guard and more of a point centre in small ball line-ups.
For Lue, the focus will now be on honing in which line-ups work the best ahead of the playoffs and he recently found success with Simmons and Ivica Zubac sharing the court, which previously wasn’t the case.
JOSH GREEN (Charlotte Hornets)
Green has seen consistently big minutes for the Hornets, but inconsistent shooting means he hasn’t made the most of the opportunity like Giddey and Daniels.
For example, the 24-year-old had three games with 12 or more points in March but mixed those in with a pair of five-point games and another where he scored just two points.
For Giddey and Daniels, a poor shooting night isn’t necessarily the end of the world because they have other clear strengths to their game which can impact winning.
Daniels’ perimeter defence is obviously elite while for Giddey it is his ball-playing.
Green’s hustle is arguably his greatest asset, and the energy he plays with can be infectious but inconsistency has been one of the biggest knocks in his game and looks to be holding the former Mavericks guard back from reaching his full potential.
JOE INGLES (Minnesota Timberwolves)
Ingles has only seen playing time once in the last month or so, but it was a very special occasion for the Australian when he did step back onto the court for the Timberwolves.
Minnesota head coach Chris Finch decided to start Ingles so his autistic son Jacob, who was in attendance, could watch his dad play for the first time against the Pelicans.
“Sometimes you’ve got to do the human thing,” Finch said.
“We always talk about, ‘All these minutes matter,’ and those minutes mattered for another reason.”
Ingles’ son struggles with sensory overload but a few days before that New Orleans game, had told his dad he was ready to watch an entire game.
The problem? Ingles didn’t get on the court in that first game Jacob sat through, so when coach Finch caught word of the situation, he made sure that didn’t happen again.
“This moment is one our family will cherish forever,” Ingles’ wife Renae wrote on Instagram.
“Words can’t fully express our gratitude for such kindness. Those minutes on the court meant so much more than just a basketball game.
“I’m incredibly proud of Jacob for all his hard work that brought him to the stands, but my heart swells with pride for Joe.
“It’s a testament to his character, and to the amazing people in this organisation who recognise him and would do something like this for him. Just wow. Thank-you, Timberwolves!”
PATTY MILLS (Los Angeles Clippers)
Another player who has seen limited playing time, with Mills averaging just 4.5 minutes per game since being traded to the Clippers from Utah, where he averaged 15.3 minutes.
The veteran guard is coming off his most productive game of the season, going 3-for-4 from downtown and making five free throws in a 14-point effort against former team, the Nets.
That was in a blowout 132-100 win though. Mills went on to then be left out of the rotation in Brooklyn’s following game against Orlando, which suggests he won’t see any time in the playoffs unless injuries cripple L.A.’s guard depth.
Either way, Mills is a valuable locker room voice regardless, even if this is a Clippers team that isn’t short of experience or leadership.
DANTE EXUM (Dallas Mavericks)
Injuries have disrupted the luckless Australian’s second season with the Mavericks and it sounds like Dallas could be forced to make a tough call if it makes the play-in tournament.
Exum was unavailable for most of the season after undergoing surgery to repair a wrist injury suffered during training camp and then went down with a broken bone in his left hand earlier last month.
“This has been a tough season for him,” Dallas coach Jason Kidd said of Exum’s latest injury.
“I feel bad for him because he worked extremely hard to get back. Now, for this to take place, it’s unfortunate.”
The Mavericks as a whole have been ravaged by injury this season but still remain in the play-in picture, which could force them into a tricky call when it comes to Exum’s future.
Dallas has had to call on two-way players Brandon Williams and Kessler Edwards more than expected amid its ongoing injury crisis and the pair have already used up their maximum amount of games this season.
The Mavericks are not able to convert either of their contracts to a standard deal for financial reasons, seemingly leaving them in a bind ahead of a potential post-season run.
But according to NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer, there could be a solution and it involves cutting another player — with the pair floating Exum as a realistic candidate given he is an unrestricted free agent, so there are no guarantees he would be back anyway.
Should he be released, Exum would lose his Early Bird rights with Dallas.
JOHNNY FURPHY (Indiana Pacers)
It is not very often that a rookie helps his team make history.
OK, well, in Furphy’s case he may not have had to do that much but it was the Australian who knocked down the 3-pointer to break Indiana’s franchise record with 24 triples in a single game.
Furphy has been used sparingly in the Pacers’ rotation recently after seeing more minutes than he would have expected earlier in the season as injuries tested Indiana’s depth.
The 20-year-old averaged 5.3 minutes in seven games last month, otherwise heavily featuring for Indiana’s G League affiliate, the Mad Ants, averaging 14.3 points and 9.6 rebounds.
The Mad Ants have qualified for the playoffs, meaning even if Furphy won’t see much playing time in the NBA his G League season isn’t over yet.
As for whether Furphy will feature in the post-season rotation for the Pacers, he hasn’t seen enough minutes when he has played in the NBA to suggest he is in Rick Carlisle’s plans and the production hasn’t really been there either.
Defence was also expected to be a work in progress for Furphy when he was drafted as more of a developmental prospect and it doesn’t seem likely Carlisle would throw him in the deep end, even for limited minutes, in the playoffs.
MATISSE THYBULLE (Portland Trail Blazers)
Thybulle finally made his season debut on March 17 after missing the majority of the season with an ankle injury, going scoreless in six minutes against the Raptors.
But there was always going to be a ramping up period for the veteran guard, who has since played at least 11 minutes in his next seven games since returning from the injury layoff.
That included a 15-point game against the Eastern Conference-leading Cavaliers, where Thybulle shot 5-for-6 from deep.
Plus, even if Thybulle went scoreless against Toronto he came up with the game-winning play as he blocked Orlando Robinson to seal a 105-102 win.
Speaking before that game, Thybulle admitted the extended period away from the game was “really frustrating”, having already dealt with a knee injury before suffering the severe ankle sprain, which he said was “leaning towards a grade three”.
At first he was “angsty and upset” as he tried desperately to find ways to get back out on the court, but once he understood the severity of the injury, his mindset shifted.
“I had to accept it’s going to take time and then the relationship became just that of doing my rehab and showing up every day and being excited about the little steps that I was making,” he said.
“It’s been a bit of a journey, and not one that I’ve known before.”
It didn’t look like Thybulle was missing out on much earlier in the season but Portland has gone on a run in the second half of the year and now, while still an outside chance, could qualify for the play-in tournament.
Either way, the Trail Blazers appear to be heading in the right direction, especially with the injection of trade deadline addition Deni Avdija, and a selfless Thybulle didn’t want to disrupt that in any way when he returned to full health.
“I’ll get in where I fit in,” Thybulle said.
“I really don’t know. Coming into a season this late is kind of crazy and not wanting to take away from what’s happening because I feel like we found ourselves to a certain degree and not wanting to add to it and junk things up.
“But I think the nature of me as a player fits into most situations pretty well, so just trying to trust that.”
DUOP REATH (Portland Trail Blazers)
Like Thybulle, it was always going to be hard for Reath to get big minutes stuck behind starting center Deandre Ayton and backup Robert Williams III.
But when both of them went down, Reath was thrust into a bigger role and immediately made an impact.
The Boomers big man was particularly effective against the 76ers, going 3-for-4 from downtown on his way to 13 points in a 119-102 win.
Blazers coach Chauncey Billups told reporters after the game that Reath “changed how they wanted to guard us”.
And that is the benefit of having a floor-spacing big like Reath. His defence has at times made it hard for coaches to play him big minutes, but Reath has even made improvements with his interior defence at stages this season.
He also went through a three-game stretch of scoring double figures and recently had a season-high 17 points in a 128-107 loss to the Kings.
JOCK LANDALE (Houston Rockets)
It will be interesting to see what kind of role Landale has in the post-season for a Houston team that may be still a year away from competing but has genuine championship ambitions.
Landale has been a solid depth piece to this point in the frontcourt rotation and been relatively productive, but Steven Adams seems to have established himself as the back-up big behind Alperen Sengun, who is locked in as the starter.
Typically when the playoffs roll around the coach shrinks his rotation, and that could mean fewer minutes for Landale, who played less than 10 minutes in four of eight games last month.
ALEX DUCAS (Oklahoma City Thunder)
Ducas has missed five straight games with a right quadriceps strain, having before then settled into a consistent six or so minutes off the bench for the Thunder in comfortable wins.
The Australian doesn’t seem likely to see any playing time in closer Oklahoma City games but since the Western Conference leaders have made a habit of blowing teams out, it has meant more opportunities for Ducas than other two-way players.
With the playoffs on the horizon, however, you can expect Ducas to see his minutes shrink and eventually he won’t see any playing time as the stakes are raised.
But being part of a potential championship-winning team, even if you aren’t playing, would be a huge win for the 24-year-old rookie.
Just ask Jack White, who had a similar experience with the Denver Nuggets during their championship-winning run.
LUKE TRAVERS (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Travers has seen limited playing time since signing a two-way contract with the Cavaliers before the start of the season, only once playing more than six minutes in his nine NBA games.
He has made just the one three-minute appearance at the top level since the All-Star break, but that isn’t because of poor play in the G League.
Rather, Travers has consistently been stuffing the stat sheet and recorded his third triple-double with the Charge in a 128-93 win over the Long Island Nets to cap off the G League season.
Travers had 11 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in that game, following up a 22-point effort against the Nets a few days earlier where he also had 17 rebounds, eight assists and two blocks.
The former United guard finished his first full season with the Charge averaging 15.4 points, 9.6 rebounds and 7.3 assists.
TARAN ARMSTRONG (Golden State Warriors)
The former Taipans guard signed a two-way contract with the Warriors in late February and while he is yet to play in the NBA, Armstrong hasn’t done his chances of getting a call-up any harm since arriving over in the States.
The 23-year-old has played 11 games for the Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden State’s G League affiliate team, averaging 11.5 points, 7.9 assists and 5.8 rebounds.
Armstrong made his first start at the G League level late last month, scoring 10 points to go with just as many assists, four rebounds and one steal.
That start came after Armstrong came up big in a 122-118 loss to the South Bay Lakers a few days earlier, scoring 22 points off the bench alongside nine assists, seven rebounds and six steals.
Santa Cruz head coach Nicholas Kerr said before Armstrong’s first game for the team that the Tasmanian “brings a good pace to the game” along with “great” playmaking and “super tough” defence.
“He’s really smart was good with most of the plays early,” Kerr added.
JACK MCVEIGH (Houston Rockets)
McVeigh saw his first minutes in the NBA for four months in March when he played seven minutes in a 137-128 loss to the Thunder, making two 3-pointers to score six points.
Otherwise, he had been catching fire in the G League, most notably making eight triples on his way to a career-high 33 points to go with three rebounds, two assists and two blocks in a 133-115 win over Iowa.
McVeigh played 34 games for Rio Grande Valley, averaging 16.2 points and shooting 37 per cent from downtown on 8.6 attempts per game.