The biggest winners and losers from Boomers’ Paris squad… and key questions yet to be answered

This round of cuts was always going to be tricky but few people were expecting Matisse Thybulle to be one of the unfortunate players to miss out as Brian Goorjian finalised his 12-man Boomers squad for the upcoming Paris Olympics.

But that is exactly what has happened according to multiple reports on Friday, with Thybulle one of five players to be cut as attention now turns to what Australia’s starting line-up and rotation could look like moving forward.

Here, foxsports.com.au looks at some of the winners and losers from the squad cut along with some key questions that will be answered in the coming weeks before Paris.

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WHY NO THYBULLE?

Let’s start with the most controversial omission.

It was widely assumed Thybulle would be on the plane to Paris because why wouldn’t he be?

Sure, Thybulle was uncharacteristically quiet at the FIBA World Cup but you only have to look back to the Tokyo Games to see how lethal he can be on the defensive end, teaming up with Dante Exum to help lock down Luka Doncic in Australia’s bronze medal win.

There is an argument to be made that the Boomers already have athletic, defensive-minded wings in Josh Green and Dyson Daniels so to some extent there is too much of a crossover in skills, especially when you consider how important shooting is in contrast in FIBA games.

But Thybulle had improved as a 3-point shooter in his past season at Portland and given the Boomers seemingly want to play a fast-paced, up-tempo offence at Paris, you would think getting stops on the defensive end will be important to realising that goal.

A guy like Thybulle will do just that. Even if you account for the shooting concerns, Thybulle is also further along in that regard than Daniels.

Although given Daniels is considered a key part of the Boomers’ long-term plans, maybe it was a case of sacrificing some shooting to give the 21-year-old an opportunity to grow with an eye to future tournaments.

Boomers legend Andrew Bogut said on the first episode of NBL Media’s ‘The Gold Standard’ podcast this morning that leaving out Thybulle was an “interesting” call.

“He’s arguably the best defender on that squad and one of the best defenders in the NBA,” Bogut said.

“I think his shooting and the ups and downs of his shooting was a concern and how I think in the last campaign I wouldn’t say he disappeared but he struggled with that when his shot wasn’t falling.”

HOW ABOUT XAVIER COOKS?

It wasn’t as big a shock to see Cooks left out, although there was certainly an argument that could be made that he should have definitely been in the squad if you left Thybulle out.

Both Bogut and Brad Newley said on ‘The Gold Standard Podcast’ that they would have had Cooks in their 12-man squad irrespective of whether Thybulle was selected.

But without Thybulle, you would have thought the Boomers would have put more value in someone like Cooks with his athleticism, versatility and defence.

It definitely would have been a particularly tough call for Goorjian to leave him out given how much the Boomers coach praised Cooks at last year’s FIBA World Cup while he is also going to be Cooks’ coach at the Kings next year.

Again, maybe it was a case of Australia prioritising Kay’s shooting, although he was hunted defensively in switches at the World Cup, so the Boomers will need a plan to combat that.

Bogut said he thought Cooks had “outplayed” Kay “a little bit” during his time at Boomers camp.

“A lot of people will say this is Sydney Kings bias. I was at the camps. I like to think I’m not biased, I call it how I see it and I thought he outplayed Nick Kay a little bit,” he said.

“But Kay’s got the shooting arm over X. But then you’re taking Jack McVeigh so I thought that would nullify bringing in a Nick Kay and maybe going with an X because I think X did a great job at the five spot, grabbing the rebound, pushing it up… creating a lot of crossmatches.”

HARD LUCK FOR GOULDING

Ultimately, it looks like this was a case of there only being space for one of Jack McVeigh and Chris Goulding, with the Tasmania JackJumper winning out.

There isn’t much more Goulding could have done, going 8-for-12 from deep during the warm-up games against China, making it easy to visualise how he could fit into this Boomers team, launching corner 3s.

McVeigh’s versatility likely won him the role in the end, although you could make an argument Australia needs all the shooting it can get and so there could have been space for both players.

“Chris is as good a shooter as anyone on the planet. He’s proven that throughout his career,” former teammate Newley said.

DELLY THE ‘BOLTER’ THAT JUST WON’T GO AWAY

One of the best stories to come out of this squad is Matthew Dellavedova forcing his way back into the picture after missing out on selection for the World Cup last year.

If there is one word to sum up Delly it is scrappy, fighting every inch — whether it is for a ball that seems destined to go out of bounds or, in this case, another shot in the green and gold.

You only have to look at what Dellavedova did in the lead-up to the World Cup last year when he found out he wasn’t even part of Goorjian’s 17-man squad.

Speaking on his Rogues Bogues podcast at the time, Bogut said he heard Goorjian told Dellavedova over the phone he would not be part of the pre-tournament Cairns camp.

“I heard that Delly was actually told not to come to Cairns camp,” Bogut said.

“… The conversation, with whoever called him to make that call, I think it was Brian Goorjian, and Delly was like ‘nah f*** that, I’m coming to the camp’.

“And they were like ‘no, you’re not in the squad’ and I guess there was a back and forth and Delly was just like ‘you’re going to have to look me in the face and cut me’. Basically, ‘I’m going to prove you wrong’.

“People will look at that like ‘what the hell’. I loved it. Obviously, there isn’t (sic) a lot of people with the currency to do that. If you’re a fringe guy that’s never made the national team, you can’t be doing that.

“But it was probably a tough thing for (Dellavedova). He’s been an integral part of the national team.”

Just one example of the never-say-die attitude that has Dellavedova back in Goorjian’s plans, capitalising on a standout season with the Melbourne United in the NBL to suit up for his fourth Olympics.

Newley described Dellavedova as the “bolter” in this year’s squad, adding that the competitive fire he brings on and off the court will bring the most out of his teammates.

“He’s made the team and that guy did everything he could to make it,” Newley said.

“He carried us to a Finals campaign last year. Just to see him back in the line-up… hats off to him, what a warrior.

“Delly is the surprise packet… he bleeds green and gold and they might have missed that in the last campaign. He’s definitely going to bring that to this one.”

Bogut, meanwhile, revealed that from what he saw and heard at Boomers camp, Dellavedova left Goorjian with no choice but to recall him.

“People will look at that and say how did Delly make it? How did he get back in? His squad didn’t lose a practice,” Bogut said.

“The team that he was on over the three or four days, even before I arrived, they said that his team was winning 90% of the drills and the five on fives and all the stuff that they were doing.

“… All reports were he was locked in from day one and that energy is infectious. He picks up full court, he’s talking, he’s vocal and he’s a guy that you don’t have to worry about as a coach that he’s gonna complain and mope that he’s not getting minutes two games into a campaign and perhaps not play that well or not be locked in.

“He’s gonna be locked in every minute of the game whether he’s getting a DNP or playing minutes. So I think it’s well deserved for Delly.”

Dellavedova will likely not see many minutes in Paris and, as Bogut alluded to, could even be a DNP for a few games but the great thing about the veteran guard is the fact he will always be ready if his name is called.

ANOTHER BIG WIN FOR THE JACKJUMPERS

First, they defended the island and won their first NBL championship.

Now they have two Boomers after both Jack McVeigh and Will Magnay earned selection in Goorjian’s 12-man squad.

For McVeigh in particular it is reward for perseverance, having rebuilt his career after being benched in his third year of college basketball at The University of Nebraska, going to carve out a solid career in the NBL before really breaking out in his past season with the JackJumpers.

McVeigh averaged 16.4 points and 5.3 assists per game, going to another level in the Championship Series on the way to being named MVP and was later rewarded with a new contract that will keep him in Tasmania until the end of the 2027 season.

McVeigh, who put on a shooting clinic in the first warm-up game against China, sacrificed honeymoon plans in Bali in the hope of instead booking a ticket to Paris.

It was a sacrifice worth making in the end.

McVeigh will be a key spark plug off the bench while Magnay likely won’t see many minutes.

He will instead probably be a match-up specific big for Goorjian, who can help fill in if either Jock Landale or Duop Reath run into foul trouble while he is also an insurance policy of sorts after Australia’s lack of size was exposed at the World Cup last year without Landale.

THE BIG ‘QUESTION’ HANGING OVER INGLES

It always seemed like Joe Ingles was going to feature for the Boomers in what will be his fifth Olympic Games, although things will still be different for the veteran this time around.

It is hard to see him in the starting line-up while minutes in general may be restricted to make the most of the 36-year-old’s strengths without stretching him too far to the extent that he becomes too much of a liability on the defensive end.

Ingles sent Goorjian a reminder of his value as a playmaker running the second unit in Thursday’s warm-up game against China and should be valuable in that connective role off the bench at Paris.

Obviously he is also a key locker room voice and leader who was part of Australia’s historic bronze medal triumph in Tokyo too, so Ingles will be an important member of the squad in that respect too.

But Bogut said on Friday that just how many minutes Ingles will get at Paris remains a mystery, especially when you consider the fast-paced style of offence the Boomers want to run.

“Are there minutes there for him? That’s my question,” he said.

“Are there mass minutes for Joe Ingles? I don’t know, with the style of play they’re trying to take. They’re trying to go up-tempo.

“I think where Joe was really good and has been really good for the Boomers and throughout his career is he’s a slow down pace where he can create out of the pick-and-roll and he comes out of it really slowly, he can find whoever he needs to find… is he going to have 15 to 20 minutes? I’m not sure.

“He’s coming off the bench obviously but that’s the question. Can he be that guy off the bench that plays limited minutes at times and stays locked in as an older guy?”

CAN THE BOOMERS AFFORD TO STAY PATTY?

Bogut though was more firm in the fact that Patty Mills needs to come off the bench at this year’s Olympics.

Mills will go down in history for his 42-point heroics in the bronze medal game against Slovenia, but at this stage it is hard to see him replicating that sort of production at this year’s Games.

The veteran guard went 1-for-11 from the field in a worrying warm-up game against China on Thursday and also struggled to get his shots falling at last year’s World Cup.

Considering Mills’ shooting is easily his biggest value add to this team, the Boomers better hope he finds his shot. Otherwise, he is another guy who could be reduced to limited minutes off the bench.

“I think if you’re starting Giddey, I don’t think you start Patty,” Bogut said.

“I think Giddey’s journey, his career’s going up, but he’s not there yet defensively. He probably needs some work on that end, and he knows that.

“Patty’s not a great defender. So I don’t think you can start both of those two. I think we saw that at the World Cup, I just don’t think you can start those two and play them mass minutes together.”

Bogut said he would prefer to see Mills come off the bench in a “gunning role” but also questioned how effective that will be if the 35-year-old can’t find his shooting rhythm.

“It’s just looked forced and clunky at times trying to find it,” Bogut added.

“He had a similar lead-up in the last Olympic and World Cup year… and then he popped up and had at least a great Olympics. But that is a concern.”

Should Mills start off the bench, that leaves Giddey and Dante Exum in the backcourt with Jock Landale and Josh Green also locked into starting roles while the four spot is the only one seemingly up for grabs in that scenario.