The burning questions for the Boomers ahead of Paris

The Australian Boomers squad has been in the midst of an extraordinarily tough selection battle, and it now all comes down to one final game.

Thursday evening's exhibition game against China will be Brian Goorjian's last chance to see his entire 17-man squad in action before he's forced to cut the group down to 12 ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

With each day of camp, and through the one warmup game against China that's already under the Boomers' belt, things have slowly but surely become clearer for Goorjian, with regard to the needs of the team going into the Olympics.

Those on the outside have no choice but to guess what that clarity looks like, but what we've been able to see thus far - in the limited camp days that have been open for viewing, as well as the first warmup game - has been illuminating enough. Goorjian has been playing around with different lineups, attempting to figure out which combinations work. Sitting Jock Landale for Tuesday's game, for example, was something Goorjian said was put in place to see how the other two bigs on the squad operate, and whether there's a need to bring all three to Paris.

"There's certain things that are, through practice and everything, becoming more apparent," Goorjian told reporters after Tuesday's win.

While Tuesday's game was an opportunity to get extended reps into players on the bubble, Thursday's contest will be closer to a preview of the Boomers team - and potentially the rotation - we'll see in Paris at the end of July.

"We've gotta start getting that group playing together, and whittle some back, and get a group of eight or nine," Goorjian said of his plan going into Thursday.

"[We need to] really study what happened [on Tuesday] and pull that, [get] a couple of those in there and give them a real look early. If we like that, continue; if we don't, then move on a couple more. Jock Landale, Giddey, Patty, get that group playing together. [On Tuesday], we had maybe 60 points from guys we don't even know will be on the team."

There are questions this coaching staff would be asking in preparation of Thursday's game, and there's a decent chance we get answers to them as evening progresses; by Friday, a team will likely have been selected, with the plan to bring 12 players to Abu Dhabi for further warmup games before the Olympics begin.

Which type of forwards are needed?

Here's the reality of a selection that those around the program have described as one of the toughest in recent memory: very good, credentialed players will be cut.

Just think of some of the forwards who were part of the Boomers for the 2023 FIBA World Cup, like Joe Ingles, Xavier Cooks, Nick Kay, and Jack White. Then, there's the reigning NBL Championship Series MVP in Jack McVeigh. At least one - probably two, and potentially three - of those players won't be on the final 12-man team that's going to Paris.

"What this comes down to is, hopefully we have enough time to assemble a style of play, and you look at those five guys and decide what's most needed for our group," Goorjian told ESPN at last week's camp. "Is it scoring? Is it versatility defensively? Is it experience and decision-making? All of them have something they're elite at."

We've seen glimpses of those different skillsets from this group of forwards. McVeigh showed his scoring capacity, and has been trending toward making this final team since the completion of the first day of camp. He then dropped 24 points in 13 minutes in Tuesday's game, all but sealing his position on the team.

Cooks has that defensive versatility and facilitates ball movement in a dynamic way. White is another switchy defender who was effective in some meaningful minutes at the World Cup.

Of course, there's also Ingles, who's hoping to make his fifth Olympics, and brings a level of experience and composure on the ball for this Boomers team.

"I feel like we're gonna do the right thing," Goorjian said.

"We'll pick the right group. What I do feel about this right now is that there's a tenacity, a spirit. Some of the stuff that was missing at the last [major tournament], [that we had at] the Tokyo Olympics, is there.

"Basketball wise, I think we've got a good style. You're not gonna beat the Europeans playing like the Europeans. [We have] a clearer vision... this is how we're gonna go about it, and we're just gonna keep building on it and see where it takes us. And, I think it's the future of what we are: long, get up and down the floor, move the ball side to side, cut, and then the defence... I think there's a way forward and I like the page that we're on."

The other consideration here, while not a 'forward', is Matthew Dellavedova. There's likely a limited minutes role that exists within this team that one could trust Dellavedova to fill in an intense way. Goorjian consistently used words like grit, and toughness, and tenacity, and spirit, and Dellavedova brings those things to the table.

The reality is, whatever roles exist for these aforementioned names will likely be two minutes, or four minutes, or 12 minutes, or zero minutes. That's a way of saying that the role will be defined by each different matchup, and by circumstance, so being efficient in those minutes is key. The question is: who's more trusted to give 100 percent of his effort and capacity in those mercurial minutes?

McVeigh or Goulding... or both?

McVeigh working his way into being a probable lock for this team comes with some interesting flow-on effects.

That's because part of the consideration of a selection isn't entirely based on that person's skillset; there has to also be an understanding of the player he'd be coming in place of, so that value proposition can be more effectively weighed up.

So, would McVeigh be coming in as the team's 'designated shooter' type of player, or a versatile offensive forward who can plug and play in different areas? Put more simply: would McVeigh's potential inclusion mean Chris Goulding is no longer needed, or would it have a larger effect on the group of forwards being looked at for selection?

"Shooting is definitely something you're looking at," Goorjian said.

"We have different kinds of shooters. Stationary, feet set, [like Jack], and then you have a guy like Goulding who can fly off two picks and raise and let it go."

McVeigh was the highlight of Tuesday's warmup game, and we saw him play all over the floor. He'd play as the three and the four - those two spots are effectively interchangeable in the Boomers' offence - and even got some reps at the two. McVeigh looked way more comfortable at the four, especially defensively, but there's at least a curiosity in how that skillset could be utilised in different ways on the floor.

Goulding was extremely effective on Tuesday night, too, finishing with 14 points, including four three-pointers.

Goulding's first touch of the game was the ball being swung to him in the corner for an open three and he proceeded to knock it down, and that visual may be telling. Just think of the role Goulding would play in Paris if he made the team; he needs to be ready to catch and shoot from the moment he steps on the floor, whether he's touched the ball or not, and he's shown he can be that guy.

Considering the lack of a shooting and scoring punch on this team overall, there's a good argument to treat McVeigh and Goulding as separate beasts who could provide different looks for the Boomers, and therefore should both be on the plane to Paris.

Should Australia bring a third big or not?

Landale sat out of Tuesday's game for a very specific reason. He's not injured or tired, or anything like that. It's that part of Goorjian's decision-making is about whether to bring three bigs, so he needed to see some reps without him.

There are three players who can play the role of a 'traditional big' on this squad. Landale and Duop Reath are locks to go to Paris, so then it comes down to whether or not the Boomers bring along Will Magnay, too.

"I wanted to see the two bigs and let them play," Goorjian said of Reath and Magnay.

"I needed to see that. Are they good enough to have two of them behind him? I wanted to take [Landale] out and let them play."

The reason for it would be as insurance in case of injury or foul trouble, with the quality and quantity of the opposing bigs in Paris increasing dramatically the further the Boomers would progress in the tournament. The Boomers lost Landale to an ankle injury right before last year's World Cup began, and the lack of size inside the paint was noticeable, and played a part in their early exit.

Going small against some of the world's bigger, high-quality five-men isn't something that's worked historically for the Boomers. So, at this point, it does feel like Goorjian is leaning toward taking a third big-man to be safe; in that case, Magnay would be that guy.

How will the Boomers attack the Josh Green and Danté Exum burnout?

Both Green and Exum completed a long, gruelling NBA Playoffs campaign with the Dallas Mavericks just two weeks ago, and the Boomers' coaching staff is keeping a close eye on their well-being.

There's a sense that, physically, both are fine, but the Boomers have been cautious not to put too much mental stress on either player early on in this campaign.

"We have a real issue with Green and Danté, of the mental side of it, too," Goorjian said. "Fried, [they've] come in fried."

Both sat out the first few days of camp - Exum arrived late to Melbourne, because of some travel issues - as well as Tuesday's game against China, with the decision being made to help them reset after the NBA postseason.

"It's definitely a mental exhaustion you go through," Exum said on Tuesday, of the mental overload that comes with going through a deep playoff campaign.

"Body's feeling great. You're so locked in to two months of playoffs, film every day... everything. So, it was good to get a little break - a week off - before we dive into this and put my full focus [into it]."

The goal is to make sure the pair of wings - both projected as starters on this Boomers team - are mentally and physically in a healthy and prepared place when the Olympics officially begin at the end of the month.

One eye on the Olympic Qualifying Tournaments

The Boomers' group at the Olympics is still quite bare.

Group A currently only features Australia and Canada, with the final two spots to be filled by the winners of the Olympic Qualifying Tournaments that are currently in full swing.

In the first qualifying tournament, being held in Valencia, both Spain and the Bahamas appear to be on a collision course to reach the final and play for a spot in the Olympic group. Spain is similar to Australia in that there's a transitional element to their roster, which features Olympic veterans Rudy Fernandez and Sergio Llull, as well as slightly younger talent like the Hernangomez brothers and Santi Aldama.

The Bahamas is led by a trio of NBA players - Deandre Ayton, Buddy Hield, and Eric Gordon - and there's a good chance they meet Spain the final of the qualifying tournament, which would determine who advances through to Group A.

The other Group A team is being decided over in Piraeus, Greece, and we've already seen some surprising results.

One half of the qualifying tournament features Croatia, New Zealand, and Slovenia, with the top two teams set to advance to the final rounds. Croatia defeated Slovenia, but then fell to the Tall Blacks early on Thursday morning, almost putting the New Zealanders in the driver's seat in the group.

New Zealand faces Slovenia on Friday; if the Tall Blacks win, or only lose by nine or less points, then they advance through to the final round of the tournament, and Luka Doncic's team would be eliminated from Olympic contention. Of course, if Slovenia wins by 10 or more points against New Zealand, then they would advance to the next round alongside Croatia.

The other side of that qualifying tournament features Greece, the Dominican Republic, and Egypt. The Greek's, led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, are on track to top that group, and may well be the favourites to win that tournament and book a place in Paris.

By the time the morning of July 8 (AEST) rolls around, Australia and Canada will know who else has populated their Olympic group.