Is there another legit 5 coming through who looks capable of reaching that level?
If Bogut stays healthy enough then he's still in my best 12 until someone else steps up and takes over.

Agreed. There is no replacement for Bogut. We don't know what the future is for Humphries and Landale but neither look up to the part at the moment. Baynes will continue to be serviceable, and there's a chance that Thon will play spot minutes at center, as well as Cam Bairstow. But there is no chance that you replace what Bogut brings with anyone else just yet.

For what it's worth I am going to put my 12 down -

Delly
Mills
Simmons
Maker
Bogut

Exum
Broekhoff
Ingles
Bolden
Bairstow
Baynes
Sobey/Goulding/whoever the best remaining Aussie shooting guard is.

That's a tough team.

Bogut's getting close to done now I wouldn't think he'd make a full strength Boomers team three years from now.

I've got the following starting 5:


6'0 P.Mills 88 (31) CG
6'4 M.Dellavedova 90 (29) PG
6'8 J.Ingles 87 (32) SG/SF
6'10 B.Simmons 96 (23) PG/CF
7'1 T.Maker 97 (37) PF/C

If Andersen is likely to retire before 2020, why is he still making Boomers camps this year? Surely you'd be bringing through alternate options?

Bogut's passing and defense mean he could still be useful. Wouldn't be ruling him out.

Bogut needs to be on the team purely for culture.

That's what made our recent olympic team better than their on-paper ratings.

The belief and chemistry. If they can recreate that with the more talented younger core it could lead to a many, great things.

"If Andersen is likely to retire before 2020, why is he still making Boomers camps this year? Surely you'd be bringing through alternate options?"

Isaac, I think you will find that it's because the qualifying series are ultra important and Dave is still the best big man we have available to play.

He will be an important piece to help us qualify.

I watched the game between Melbourne and China and he still is playing really well (at the moment) with turn around jumpers and knocking down threes

If healthy, Bogut is a definite tick. Defence, passing and IQ aside, you just can't go past his experience.

The biggest problems will be at 1 and 4.

Baynes can play 4 at international level, especially against Euro teams, which tend to be big in the power positions. I know there are huge raps for guys like Maker and Bolden, but the history of the Boomers says that if there are experienced guys available, they won't select an inexperienced international lineup.

For that reason, I don't see anyone other than Simmons starting (at 3), unless they've had previous Boomers experience at either Worlds or Olympics (maybe Commonweath Games?)

The jury is still very much out on Exum. I really hope he develops as a reliable 1, but we will have to wait and see. Delly and Patty will play major roles, and I can see Broekhoff playing some 2, but not Jingles. He's too slow to guard most international 2s now, let alone in three years time.

By position, I think we'll see something like:
Delly/Patty/(Exum, Sobey, maybe even Norton)
Patty/Broekhoff/(Exum, Sobey or Goulding)
Simmons/Broekhoff/(Jingles, Bolden)
Baynes/Bairstow/(Maker, Bolden)
Bogut/Baynes/(Landale, Maker, Humphries)

I think the first two guys I've listed at each position will go, which is seven guys, and the other five spots will be made up of the guys I listed in parentheses.

Anderson is a whole new level of player when it comes to international basketball. His NBL game is no where near as intense, dominating or reliable.

Bogut as one of two pure centres and mixed with 1-2 PF/C players will be a handy addition and give our team some good minutes to spread around and 12 to 15 fouls a game to give out before we start to lose players.

I don't see Baynes brain farts disappearing by then, so having a intelligent big will be worth it.

It could be the best team Australia has presented at an Olympic Games. Other than the older Bogut and Maker, all the players are at a good age to compete internationally.

Not sure how exum fits in come 2020.

More than likely Exum is in europe or back in NBL based on his play (hoping this doesn't happen but likely)

As Exum's shooting is the issue as you need to be able to shoot in the international game and i feel a few others might have developed and gone past him by then.

Shooting is the single easiest thing to learn in basketball, all it takes is a gym, a basketball, and lots of time. If Exum has the motivation, there's no reason to think he won't end up being at least an average 3pt shooter. His stroke looked good in summer league - holding his follow through after the shot left his hand, you can tell he's been working on it. Still looks a little awkward shooting off the dribble inside the arc though.

Love to see Bogut still healthy and able by 2020. Its a a few more years of wear on his body, but certainly a good goal to have and great for the Boomers if he can acheive it. Hopefully he'd be more of a situational player by that time, but he'd be a great option off the bench. Thinking of games like the 96 Olympics where the team played well all tournament but got killed by Sabonis in the Bornze game. Having a genuine big defensive anchor could have made all the difference (we needed Luc for that one game but he was comentating)

He was injured.

From memory he could have played but chose to have surgery to get ready for the nba season. Not saying it was the wrong decision for him, but it hurt us.

Is this Moller talk all the same guy? I've seen his name pop up a lot and not sure if it's a joke or not.

The guy has come along well, to the point that he is just now at an NBL bench player level, and he is being compared with the best players to come out of Australia?