The team bound for Paris has arrived and the response has been overwhelming.
A consistent theme throughout the Australian Boomers training camp was that this might be the toughest selection round in the program's history, and the players who missed out were proof of that. There were no easy escapes when selecting the final group, as eligible and deserving players who would have been walk-ons in other cycles were inevitably going to be sent home. Whatever decision Brian Goojian and his staff made, it was probably always going to be unpopular.
“It's a job he picked, and it's a terrible job,” Joe Ingles said Thursday about Ghouridjian's task of selecting the final team. “It's terrible.”
The final team selected, which still needs to be approved by the Australian Olympic Committee, is not the one most people expected.
Matisse Thybulle's omission from the final squad was the biggest surprise given the role he played for the Boomers in the past two major tournaments, as were Chris Goulding and Xavier Cooks, who were on the World Cup squad.Whether you agree with the policy or not – and it's understandable if you don't – the decision was well thought out and deliberate.
“No matter how this goes, there's going to be a lot of people trying to put a bullet in my head,” Goujian said Thursday. “I'm not going to win. I have a great staff and I'm confident we'll make the right decisions and put the best players on the court.”
Ghouridjian and his coaching staff selected players based on two goals: how to improve on the team's poor performance at the World Cup and who would work best within this core framework.
So let's take a closer look at how the Boomers team for the Paris Olympics was ultimately put together and what led to them being made, according to people with knowledge of the selection process who spoke to ESPN.
Why was Matisse Thybulle cut?
Nobody expected this.
Thybulle was considered by many to not only be a sure thing to make the Olympic team, but even potentially be in the starting lineup, so players within the Boomers, former players around the area and everyone in between were shocked when word began to trickle out that Thybulle had been left off the 12-man squad.
The Boomers' defensive performance declined significantly between the 2021 Tokyo Games and the World Cup, so it seems counterintuitive to leave out one of the best perimeter defenders in the world. Of course, there was always the question of whether they had too many athletic defensive wings without the ability to shoot. But even if that question arose, no one expected Coach Goujian to leave out a player like Thybulle just because he's so good defensively. Sources say Thybulle has no injury concerns that would keep him off the team and has had a relatively impressive camp.
Ultimately, it came down to Thybulle or Dyson Daniels. The coaching staff didn't think there was room for both in the Boomers' core rotation and wanted to place more emphasis on Daniels as a key defender on the wing this season.
On paper, Thybulle might still have been considered one of the 10-12 players — someone with limited or no minutes as insurance, or someone with a special skill set that could be useful in different matchups — but the team felt it needed to bring in a different type of player at those positions, and the Portland Trail Blazers wing was left off the team, much to everyone's surprise.
It was tense right up until the very end for Ingles.
Goujian had something interesting to say after Thursday's friendly win over China.
“I was just thinking about some things going into the game, and midway through the third quarter, I was like, 'Hey, I've got to talk about this,'” he told reporters.[The staff] Everybody can see it. We've got to go back and plow some more.”
He was referring to a period in the second half when the offense seemed to stagnate, after which Joe Ingles came into the game and was able to stabilize the team and point his teammates in the right direction.
Coming into Thursday's game, Ingles was on the brink of making the final roster. Frankly, he was probably just on the outside looking in. There were legitimate questions about what value he would bring to the team compared to the other options. As a pure spot-up player, you'd probably go with Gaulding. As a defender, you'd probably go with Thybulle. If you wanted a bigger, more athletic player, you'd go with Cooks.
While that value wasn't 100% clear early on, it became clear in the third quarter: Ingles' ability to calm things down and lead the offense when things got tough. His ability to play and create without the ball is a useful asset for a team that may need another spark in their offense and is in a shaky spot.
“I think a lot of times I've been that guy,” Ingles said after the game.
“My goal coming in in the second half was just to get in there, move the ball offensively and get in the flow of what we're doing. That's when I'm at my best. Steadying the ship and having a little bit of control. Knowing the offense, knowing the scouts, knowing what we want to do. That's what I've done so many times in my career.”
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Goulding made 8 of 13 3-pointers in the Boomers' two exhibition games against China, but unfortunately that wasn't enough to earn him a spot on the final team.
Shooting was an issue for the Boomers in the World Cup. Goulding was on the team but didn't get significant playing time, and that burden fell to rookie Jack McVay. The reigning NBL Championship Series MVP was outstanding in camp, shooting all over the court and sending a message on Tuesday with 24 points, including six three-pointers, in 13 minutes. McVay became the preferred spot-up option, someone who might be more effective as a defender because of his size.
McVay's arrival gives the coaching staff some flexibility.
He can play in the No. 4 position. There is a chance he will start. He was also effective dropping down to No. 3. The logic is that the coaches also like Nick Kaye's shooting element, so all of a sudden Cooks doesn't have time to rotate in the No. 4 position. With the shooting ostensibly covered, Goulding's spot in the World Cup could be filled by another skill set. So Gouldjian looked to Matthew Dellavedova and Ingles' positions. This is not a justification for the decision, just a reading of how it happened.
Adding Dellavedova to your team means you know two things. First, you know he's going to be a positive, energizing presence off the court, even if he gets zero playing time. That's valuable. But when Dellavedova is on the court, whether it's for two, five or seven minutes, you have a strong sense of confidence that he's going to bring all his energy and ability to the defense, take full-court control from the get-go and add a little creativity when needed. Goujian has spoken a lot since the World Cup loss about adding passion, grit and grit to this Boomers team. Those are words that tend to be cliché, but the way Dellavedova exerts them could actually help the Boomers.
Of course, it was a tough match for Goulding, who was seeking his third and likely final Olympic appearance. China's defense was weak, but there wasn't much more the Melbourne United shooter could do to prove his worth to earn a place in the Olympic team. We'll have to wait and see, and the Boomers could find themselves in a scenario where their shooting shortcomings come back to bite them later.
Baby Boomers always had three big things
The coaching staff knew there was a good chance Will Magnay would be on a plane to Paris after the first day of camp.
With the possibility of either Jock Landale or Duop Riis getting into foul trouble or injured (especially after Landale missed the pre-World Cup with a high ankle sprain), it made sense they would need a third big man as insurance, and Magnay was the only option.
The Tasmanian Jackjumpers big man performed well in camp, with Goujian comparing his physical strength to that of Andrew Bogut and Aron Baynes. Magnay won't see significant playing time and may never even get on the court, but with the size the Boomers could face as the Olympics progresses, having big man insurance — especially one as tough, athletic and shot-blocking as Magnay — was a priority for Goujian and his team.
