It might be a dead rubber in terms of the World Cup but the future focus on next year’s Olympics means there is still plenty to play for for a number of Boomers hoping to book a ticket to Paris.
Follow live as Australia takes on Georgia in their last game of a tough World Cup campaign.
Australia’s World Cup medal hopes are over but this is day one on the new path to the Paris Olympics, which presents the Boomers with a chance to start blooding the next generation now.
Sunday’s final World Cup clash against Georgia won’t count for anything, but it serves as a vital opportunity to experiment with the line-up.
One train of thought that has been floated is to give emerging guard Dyson Daniels more game time to see how he fits into the squad.
Daniels has only played seven minutes at the Cup, but he could be given more time to prove himself against Georgia.
The Boomers could also opt to lean in on experienced guard Chris Goulding – who has only played six minutes at the Cup.
Goulding is a proven perimeter threat – a quality the Australians have lacked at this year’s World Cup.
The Boomers have also been undersized – a problem largely sparked after losing big man Jock Landale to an ankle injury in the warm-up games.
Ingles has turned down multiple open looks throughout the tournament, but former Boomer Mark Worthington says there are factors at play.
Worthington believes Landale’s injury on the eve of the World Cup has impacted the NBA swingman.
“I say that because when Joe has been at Utah and Milwaukee last year, he is part of that second team unit where he gets people into pick and rolls, he is playing off the pick and rolls and he is crafty,” said Worthington on the Hasbeen Hoops podcast with fellow Boomers legend Chris Anstey.
“The way that Joe finds his way into the game is with the ball through his hands. He is a very unselfish player but he makes great decisions.
“The injury to Jock meant we went small ball and it meant Joe had to play more of a four-man power forward role, setting screens and he was in unfamiliar spaces on the floor.
“So, his level of comfort that he had on the court wasn’t quite there.
“I would have assumed that Joe could have been part of that second unit where the ball was going to go through him to be able to facilitate more and free up other people.
“So, I don’t blame Joe for probably having a lack of confidence but I blame the situation.”
The Boomers take on Georgia in their final World Cup game from 5.30pm (AEST) on Sunday.
Originally published as Basketball World Cup: Australia v Georgia start time, live scores, Boomers last game
