Australia field expanded World Cup squad but without Ben Simmons

Change of course for Australia. After ensuring that Ben Simmons had “strong chance” to play in the next World Cup, from August 25 to September 10, Brian Goorjian did not include him in an expanded group of 18 players communicated on Monday. The Boomers coach has chosen to do without the Brooklyn Nets point guard, who has not played since February 15 due to a back injury and has only played 42 NBA games in two years.

Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels are making their first Australian A appearances. The first comes out of an excellent season with Oklahoma City (16.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists on average, the Thunder qualified for the play-in), while the second was a rookie with the Pelicans, after being drafted eighth last June.

They are among the ten players playing in the NBA to be called up, including veterans Joe Ingles (Milwaukee Bucks), Patty Mills (Brooklyn) and Matthew Dellavedova (Sacramento Kings), but also Josh Green (Dallas Mavericks), Jock Landale (Phoenix Suns), Matisse Thybulle (Philadelphia Sixers) or even Xavier Cooks (Washington Wizards). Jack White is under a two-way contract with the Denver Nuggets, dividing his time between the Colorado franchise (17 games this season) and its G-League subsidiary. The group will be reduced to 12 players before the start of the tournament.

The Australians, semi-finalists of the World Cup in 2019 – beaten by the Blues in the match for third place – and who won the bronze medal at the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021, will play in a raised pool. Placed in Group E, the Boomers will face Finland (August 25), Germany (August 27) and Japan (August 29), which will host their matches in the first two rounds.