Those $150m Players Evolving into a Human Highlight Reel

The National Basketball Association campaign begins now, signaling the first time in a ten years that Australia's pair of biggest basketball stars – Ben Simmons and Patty Mills – are teamless.

This change indicates a changing of the guard, as Australian guard pair Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels emerge as essential players for playoff aspirants, with recently signed nine-figure contracts establishing them as some of Australia’s highest sporting earners.

But they are not alone. A group of 14 Aussies are set to compete for minutes across the NBA, including veteran centres Jock Landale and Duop Reath, up-and-coming forwards in Johnny Furphy and Josh Green, to promising rookies like Tyrese Proctor and Rocco Zikarsky.

Josh Giddey Out to Prove Himself

After protracted negotiations with the Chicago Bulls, the guard finally inked his rookie extension worth $100m ($153m) over four years last month. It’s a huge contract for the Melbourne native, but in league standards it is cheap for his role and profile as a lead playmaker. Hesitation for Chicago’s front office to pay top dollar means the young star enters this year with a point to make.

Having been traded by the Thunder at the beginning of last campaign, Giddey observed as his old team stormed to the NBA championship without him. As the Chicago look to reach the postseason in the less competitive Eastern Conference, he will need to show his scoring and defence are starter-worthy or else he may fall back towards the NBA’s fringe.

Dyson Daniels Targets Further Growth

The guard signed the identical contract as Giddey this week, and after his most-improved player award last season, the Hawks player's career has taken off in Atlanta following his exit from the Pelicans. He is now praised as one of the league’s best defensive specialists, and topped the league in takeaways with 3.0 spg – over one full takeaway per match higher than the total of second place.

Performing next to flamboyant Trae Young in Atlanta, the 22-year-old can be successful this season as a secondary ballhandler and defensive stopper as long as the Hawks advance to the postseason. But if he can improve his long-range game, which was subpar last year, and continue to develop his distribution and attacking, Daniels could become one of the league’s most well-rounded players.

Johnny Furphy A Dunking Sensation

Pacers forward the rookie has emerged as a crowd favorite in the state following a succession of highlight-reel slam dunks in exhibition games. His acrobatics prompted league figure Pat Beverley to label him as the “best white dunker we’ve seen in a while”, and an invite to the All-Star dunk contest could be a possibility.

Following logging just eight minutes per game over 50 games in his debut season, the former Maribyrnong College player is in the running for a Pacers rotation that might favor youth following injury to lead guard Tyrese Haliburton.

Tyrese Proctor A Long-Range Threat

Guard Proctor dropped in the NBA Draft all the way to the 49th pick, where playoff hopefuls Cleveland picked him. The Cavs are front-runners to make the Finals from the Eastern Conference, so it would be unusual for a first-year player drafted in the second round to see much playing minutes. But the Australian has seen time in pre-season, and his NBA-ready shot offers him a chance to make an impact.

Minutes Crunch Ahead for Experienced Group

Seasoned big man Jock Landale has a chance to secure the starting centre spot in Memphis given highly-touted Zach Edey will be out for the opening of the campaign after ankle surgery.

In the Trail Blazers, Duop Reath is the experienced reserve to young centres Donovan Clingan and Yang Hansen, but could play regular minutes if the Blazers become competitive. His fellow player Matisse Thybulle is expected to be deployed as a defensive spark off the bench.

In Charlotte, Josh Green’s summer shoulder procedure has left him with no return date to return. The player still has a deal for next season, but won’t want to give his teammates at the rebuilding Charlotte too much head start. And injury has already slowed Dante Exum, who has a knee problem and has missed important pre-season opportunities in Dallas.

Aussie Hoopers On the Fringe

Then there are those who are not expected to see a lot of, if any, game action this year. Thirty-eight-year-old Joe Ingles is back in Minnesota, but appears to be primarily a mentor ensuring Anthony Edwards focused.

Rookie Rocco Zikarsky is likely to be developed by Minnesota Timberwolves through their affiliate team. Fellow rookies Lachlan Olbrich in the Bulls and Alex Toohey for the Warriors are also in the slow cooker, while the experienced Luke Travers will be aiming to earn playing time alongside his compatriot for the Cavs.

Ben Simmons and Patty Mills Fish for a Deal

If there were any doubts Mills was planning to end his career, he addressed it with a workout video shared on his social media recently, showing the 37-year-old is still in form and focused on securing one more NBA contract.

What Simmons is thinking is uncertain after an off-season in Australia, angling and playing with a football. Even though he took to social media recently to deny rumors he was retired, the 29-year-old – an All Star as recently as 2021 – has not yet surface.