Boomers Breakdown: Assessing Australia’s opening win

Following the Australian Boomers’ 84-67 victory over Nigeria, NBL Media’s Liam Santamaria gives us all the hits and misses from an eventful opening game.

THE BOOMERS WON UGLY

And you know what? Sometimes you’ve got to do that.

Last night’s opener against Nigeria was a sloppy, mistake-riddled game that could’ve easily gone pear-shaped for the Boomers but instead, finished as a 17-point win.

The biggest issue: an inability to look after the ball. 

Thanks to a combination of nerves, stagnant offence and disruptive Nigerian pressure, the Boomers coughed it up a massive 22 times. 

Luckily, the D'Tigers had even bigger problems as they committed 24 turnovers of their own and shot just 12/24 from the free-throw line.

So, what was with all those turnovers? Well, the Boomers were loose with the rock, there’s no doubt about that. A number of lazy passes got picked off while others were simply the result of poor decision-making.

Some were also the result of poor offensive execution. When a lack of ball and player movement resulted in late-clock, isolation situations, guys were often left trying to make something out of nothing and wound up throwing it away.

That said – and as Joe Ingles noted post-game – Nigeria’s length, athleticism and pressure also had an impact.

“There’s a lot of things we can improve on and fix up. We’ll go watch film, recover and get ready for the next one,” Ingles said.

“We need to be better with the ball but have to give a lot of credit to Nigeria and the way they play. That’s their style; they’re up and in, they’re athletic, they get up the floor and they’ve got a great coach.

“I think people underestimate the team they are. They’re a really good basketball team.”

PATTY MILLS WAS OUTSTANDING 

Amidst the chaos of a messy tournament opener, Patty shone bright.

A blur of constant movement at the offensive end, Mills finished as the game’s leading scorer with 25 points while also throwing a game-high six assists. He drained 5/8 from long range and was active defensively, notching up 4 steals, as the Boomers outscored Nigeria by 20 during his minutes on the floor.

Patty’s best passage of play came right out of the gate to begin the second half where he set up Delly for an open triple and then drained one of his own. Within an instant, a three-point half time advantage had blown out to nine. 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">- Delly ?<br>- Patty ?<br><br>Perfect start to the third for <a href="https://twitter.com/BasketballAus?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BasketballAus</a>!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Tokyo2020?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Tokyo2020</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/7Olympics?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#7Olympics</a> <a href="https://t.co/5Rkti2wirU">pic.twitter.com/5Rkti2wirU</a></p>&mdash; 7Olympics (@7olympics) <a href="https://twitter.com/7olympics/status/1419227664129290245?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

That’s what Mills does. Especially in the green and gold jersey of the Boomers. He’s a game-breaker who senses the moment and grabs the bull by the horns.

Speaking to Channel 7’s Mel McLaughlin postgame, Patty touched on the feeling that exists within the Boomers as they open this all-important Olympic campaign.

“It’s definitely very purposeful, very meaningful for me and everyone else in the locker room,” Mills said.

“There’s a focus and a determination throughout this group that has never been felt before. We’re hungry, we want to get this one. Head down in the sand, in the trenches together.”

DANTE PROVIDES AN EX-FACTOR 

First things first: How good is it to see Dante Exum fit and healthy and having an impact for the Boomers!

It’s also, it must be said, a little nerve-racking.

That’s because it’s something of a roller-coaster ride whenever Exum’s out there on the floor. He plays with such reckless abandon – constantly attacking off the dribble and launching himself at the rim – that you never know what’s around the corner. It could be a bucket, a turnover, an injury, a highlight-reel play or some combination of the above.

As a mate texted into a group chat I’m in last night, Exum is one of those ball players “who holds down turbo the entire time.”

The thing is, this Boomers squad needs the punch that he provides.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This Boomer has HOPS! ???<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Tokyo2020?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Tokyo2020</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Basketball?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Basketball</a> <a href="https://t.co/PIhPTSUfv8">pic.twitter.com/PIhPTSUfv8</a></p>&mdash; FIBA #Tokyo2020 (@FIBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/FIBA/status/1419233194889519106?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

As a playmaker, Exum offers something different to what Delly and, to a lesser extent, Joe Ingles bring to that role: he’s explosive. 

As he turns the turns the corner off ball screens and dribble-hand-offs – or punishes ball-pressure by putting his jets on – Exum has the ability to get downhill and put enormous heat on the rim. Sometimes that results in a bucket. Other times, as we saw on a few occasions last night, Exum leaves his feet and runs out of options, throwing the ball away.

What was really cool about last night’s game, though, was Brian Goorjian’s willingness to allow Exum to play through those mistakes. The 26-year-old was his usual active self defensively and finished the game with 11 points, five rebounds and three assists while also committing a team-high five turnovers. It was a mixed bag, no doubt… but definitely something for Dante to build upon.

“This whole thing is a learning experience for me,” Exum told media postgame.

“I’m learning from the first quarter to the second to the third. How to make adjustments and my fellas helped me a lot.”

The focus for Dante moving forward will be enhancing his ability to play off two feet. As he attacks the paint he needs to be ready to slow down every now and then and stay under control. Take that finger off turbo and come to a stop.

THE D IS THE KEY

One thing we know for sure about these Boomers is that they are a tough, tight, committed defensive outfit. 

Led by the connectedness of their veteran core, Goorjian’s squad has been bolstered defensively by the length and athleticism of first-time Olympians Matisse Thybulle, Exum and also Josh Green.

Then, of course, there’s the hard-working Nick Kay who just always seems to be in the right spot at the right time at both ends of the floor.

So as their offence stagnated at times last night and the turnovers piled up, the Boomers’ defence stood tall. 

In fact, they churned it up after half time – pressuring the ball, fighting over screens and rotating brilliantly – to the point where the Aussies peeled off seven consecutive stops early in the third term.

Another four straight stops early in the fourth – plus a lack of discipline from the Nigerians – helped the Boomers turn a five-point advantage into a game-winning 14-point lead.

The Boomers can score, don’t get me wrong, but they’re led by their ability to be an absolute nightmare to score against.