It’s hard to remember the last time that the Australian basketball currency was so high. The National Basketball League has seen a resurgence, the Australian Boomers can compete against the world’s best, and there are Aussies putting in valuable minutes with NBA teams. Now is the time for Basketball Australia and the NBL to not only ride this wave but capitalise on it by going to the next level.
The recent success of Josh Giddey and LaMelo Ball have shown not only Australian fans but also basketball fans around the globe that the NBL can be a breeding ground for exciting young talent. This is important for the league as far as earning respect and being seen as a legitimate option for players to get noticed while playing at a good level. Will this translate to more fans getting involved in the local game is the big question.
One thing which can facilitate this is star power and overall standard of play and both should go hand in hand. There’s no use bringing in big names if they don’t contribute at a level people will expect who turn up or tune in. However it’s not cheap to bring that type of player in. Australia though is lucky that we are producing homegrown talent that thanks to the Olympics are household names.
In 2018, the Sydney Kings landed Andrew Bogut who is arguably our most successful export overseas. He had an immediate impact by helping to turn this historic side’s fortunes around from a sub 40 win % team to an equal best record in his first season. He also took home the league MVP.
His retirement in 2021 threatened to leave a massive hole to fill for the league but it has somewhat been filled with the arrival of another returning Aussie basketball legend, Matthew Dellavedova. Unlike Bogut, Dellavedova returns at the relatively young age of 31 to lead the defending champions, Melbourne United. So he won’t have the weight of turning around a struggling team on his shoulders but he will have the weight of expectation on his personal performances, as well as, expectations as a face of the league.
This can bring a lot of pressure on an individual and we will have to wait and see how Dellavedova’s performances are affected, if at all. The good news for him and the league is that the cavalry could be arriving. Two of the most popular members of the Australian National team who have had incredible careers at the highest level are free agents in the US summer, Patty Mills (33) and Joe Ingles (34).
Both NBA veterans are still important contributors for the Brooklyn Nets and Utah Jazz, respectively, so could be more than useful on an NBL team. In 2020, Ingles expressed interest in returning to the NBL after his NBA career on the “Gibbo Goes One on One” podcast.
“I’d probably only play in Melbourne unless someone did some high-level recruiting,” he told Adam Gibson.
“It is where I started, and it would be awesome to finish in front of family and friends.”
Mills last played in Australia at club level during a stint with the Melbourne Tigers in 2011 while the NBA lockout was happening. The native Canberran could be more open to a move away from Melbourne which would be good for the league to spread out their stars geographically.
Whether or not they are ready for a move home is unknown but the NBL and Basketball Australia should be working their tails off behind the scenes in wooing the two Boomers back. As far as names go in Aussie basketball, they don’t get much bigger or beloved. As far as ability to play, they both still have plenty left in the tank to offer their team and the league.
Both players have been remarkably consistent with their production over their careers. Mills’ minutes have actually gone up this season while Ingles’ are a little down but when we look at their value it hasn’t been negatively affected.
Both players are actually up on offensive value this season even despite their action rate being down. They are getting more value per action. This is a remarkable testament to both players' consistency and longevity to be showing no signs of drop off. There’s no reason they couldn’t continue on the NBA stage a little bit longer but it’s also a great time to come home and impact the domestic game.
Having Dellavedova, Ingles and Mills leading teams in the NBL surrounded by young up and coming talent, as well as, quality established players could be another shot in the arm of a game which has really had a remarkable turnaround in recent years.
