QUICK WRAP: Australia vs. Finland

98-72 for the Boomers in their World Cup opener

There’s been a lot of unbridled optimism and hope surrounding this Boomers World Cup campaign, and honestly it isn’t unfounded either.

A bronze medal in Tokyo 2020 while also adding your star point guard of the future to the roster in Josh Giddey, as well as other NBA level talents in Jack White, Xavier Cooks and Dyson Daniels? The scope for improvement is only as limited as the team’s own ambition and desire.

Motivational quote nonsense aside, you’d be forgiven for feeling a bit deflated with how the first quarter played out against Lauri Markkanen and Finland.

Smart judges would tell you that the Boomers wouldn’t be a typical offensive juggernaut with a bevy of lethal shooters. Sure, the wings the team possess are more than capable catch and shoot guys, but of a streakier variety, and coupled with the pre-tournament struggles of Patty Mills and Joe Ingles from behind the arc, the offense is going to suffer patches of barren wastefulness.

That much was evident in the first quarter against Finland, a frantic and frazzled start not helped by inexperience at the head of the snake, Josh Giddey particularly guilty of some rushed thought processing as the Boomers struggled and panicked their way to a miserable 17 point first quarter, Ingles the only one to make a three.

Where the team is elite though, is on the defensive end, with plus defenders up and down the roster in Josh Green, Matisse Thybulle, Jack White, Xavier Cooks, Dante Exum and Dyson Daniels.

The defence is meant to be the thing that drives the Boomers and helps them sustain their periods of offensive ineptitude, and yet it was an uncharacteristic opening stanza on that end too, beaten too often by simple actions like back screens and off ball cuts, hardly making Finland work for their points despite having the athletic advantage.

Things didn’t really start to turn until midway through the second quarter, after Finland had raced out to a 36-28 lead and left the Boomers gasping for air. Josh Green, who didn’t play a minute in the first quarter, leading some to wonder if he was indeed fit and available to play after tweaking his ankle in the penultimate warmup vs. France, and Jack White, came on to provide a much needed defensive boost.

Those two along with Xavier Cooks gave the Boomers a dynamic, switchable trio that was able to navigate and cope with Finland’s screen attack, and Jack White in particular did a tremendous job as the primary defender on Lauri Markkanen, harrying him into forced turnovers and tough shots as the game progressed.

After wrestling back enough control to take a five point lead into the main break, the second half was all Boomers, Josh Giddey in particular taking a controlling hand over the game after what I’d term a frantic and rushed start to his senior international career at a major tournament.

More importantly though, the Boomers swarmed and lifted on the defensive end, restricting Finland to a measly 32 points in the second half, of which a fair portion came in garbage time once the starters had been pulled.

Late in the third and into the fourth, the Boomers killed off any chance of a Finland comeback, surging on a 22-7 run to take a commanding lead early in the fourth, and would lead by as many as 29 points before eventually settling for their 26 point finish.

The second half showed the strengths of this team, and while there’ll be tougher tests than what Finland provided today, scoring 98 points largely keyed by a ratcheting up of defensive pressure after a lacklustre first quarter is only a positive for the team moving forward.

Next up is a Sunday evening matchup against Germany, an old foe from the Olympics, ranked 11th in the world, 8 spots below Australia (Finland are 24th for reference). Dennis Schroder is their key player in FIBA play but Franz Wagner may present the toughest cover in a similar vein to Lauri Markkanen tonight.

I’d expect Jack White, who earned minutes with his play in the later warmups and who did a sterling job on Markkanen, to get plenty of burn on Franz as a primary assignment.

BOOMER HIGHLIGHT

I could go on about Josh Giddey’s near triple double or yet another 25 point performance from Patty Mills but let’s talk about Dante Exum.

The change in Exum’s game since he burst into the NBA as a fresh faced 19 year old with the Utah Jazz has been utterly remarkable, going from an athletic freak with little in the way of actual polished skill and craft, to one of the best pure point guards in Europe, earning his way back to the NBA after solid spells at Barcelona and Partizan.

When the Boomers needed a calming head on offense, it was Exum as the first guard off the bench who answered the call. His athleticism, despite several injuries, is still on display as he’s able to weave in transition and attack off kilter defenders, but it’s his craft as a playmaker that’s really shone.

Using his athleticism, he’s able to beat his primary defender more often than not and draw help, and his court vision as improved to the point where he will find open shooters and rollers with regularity.

He also has developed into a very reliable standstill shooter, and his two threes tonight were very important to help keep the Finland defence stretched.

DISLIKE

One thing I didn’t like and it was a worry I noticed after the warmups was the propensity to foul, which is going to be a major issue as the team is operating somewhat shorthanded in the frontcourt, using Xavier Cooks, Jack White and Nick Kay as pseudo-big men.

When you’re operating at a size deficit, you have to minimise fouls committed on the perimeter and in transition, something that the Boomers did a poor job of doing in the first half, coupled with Nick Kay getting into foul trouble down low too.

BOX SCORE

PATTY MILLS - 25 points, 8 rebounds, 11/22 FG, 2/8 3PT, 4 steals

JOSH GIDDEY - 14 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists

JOE INGLES - 13 points, 4 rebounds, 3/7 3PT

DANTE EXUM - 10 points, 3 assists, 2/2 3PT

XAVIER COOKS - 9 points, 2 steals

DUOP REATH - 8 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks

NEXT GAME

Australia vs. Germany, Sunday August 27th, 6:30PM AEST

KEY MATCHUP: Franz Wagner vs. whoever the Boomers throw at him. Wagner is a 6’10” forward for the Orlando Magic in the NBA, a lottery pick back in 2021, and a potential superstar both for club and country.

At his size, he’s part of the next wave of playmaking wings, often combining with Paolo Banchero for Orlando to run the majority of their offense while their guards play off the ball more.

Wagner isn’t quite as big as Lauri Markkanen but presents a similar matchup problem with his handling ability at his size, and his penchant for getting to the rim. His jumpshot is also a threat, but not as consistent as Markkanen, and maybe the lesser of the two evils, but not by much.

The Boomers have plenty of people to put on him, but I expect a combination of Xavier Cooks, Matisse Thybulle and Jack White to get the majority of the minutes. While still big, Wagner doesn’t possess Lauri’s size, so we might see more of Thybulle here as a primary defender initially, before switching to his preferred “free safety” role when Cooks or White sub in to the game.

#GoldVibesOnly

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If you missed it, I recorded a FIBA World Cup preview podcast for Beyond The Fence, focusing primarily on the Boomers and Group E, with Michael Houben from The Pick and Roll. It’s on all podcast platforms, go check it out.