Dyson Daniels continues to make the most of his opportunity at the Pelicans while veteran Joe Ingles has been an unsung hero for one of the NBA’s early surprise packets.
Read on for the latest wrap of all the Australians playing in the NBA!
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Davis posts season-high in Lakers win | 01:10
DYSON DANIELS (New Orleans Pelicans)
Shooting remains a work in progress for Daniels, who had one of his worst games of the year in that regard against the Jazz on Sunday, going 3-of-14 from the floor and missing all six 3-point attempts.
Daniels has been a streaky shooter from downtown at best recently, only making 28.6 per cent of his 3-point attempts in November.
That has never been the strength of Daniels’ game though and fortunately the Australian has found plenty of other ways to make an impact for the Pelicans, most notably with his defence.
In fact, Daniels had a career-high six steals in the 105-100 loss to the Jazz on Sunday and leads the NBA with 64 deflections after 13 in that game.
Daniels also played a crucial role alongside teammate Herb Jones in slowing down Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox in a dominant 129-93 win last week.
Fox entered that game averaging almost 32 points per game but was clamped up by the Pelicans duo, scoring just 14 points on 5-of-18 shooting.
When asked what was behind Fox’s inefficient showing Zion Williamson had two names for reporters.
“C’mon man, two names — Herb and Dyson. Stop it, you know the answer to it,” he said.
“That’s a great combo to have and that’s a luxury.”
“They are both really good defenders,” added Pelicans coach Willie Green.
“Both of those guys you can see they’re long, they’re active, they’re strong and physical defenders and both are creating offensive identities.”
It makes it easier for the Pelicans offence too, with the defensive stops allowing someone like Daniels to facilitate in transition and find either Williamson or Brandon Ingram for easy buckets.
“It’s our ability to get stops first,” Green said.
“When you can stop teams it’s harder for them to score on you and their percentages are low. Those guys are fast. Herb gets out. Dyson gets out.
“They are looking for kick-aheads to B.I. and Z (Zion) if they can and then we are just playing from there.
“Having both Dyson and Herb out there, they are both big, physical wing defenders. They make it tough on our opponents.”
While the 3-point shooting has not always been consistently there Daniels has also improved at being more decisive and aggressive in attacking the rim, although that too remains something to work on.
As a whole though, Daniels has capitalised on his opportunity with CJ McCollum sidelined and will continue to push for more minutes off the bench when New Orleans is full strength.
JOSH GIDDEY (Oklahoma City Thunder)
For the time being Giddey remains in the Oklahoma City line-up while the NBA investigates allegations of an inappropriate relationship with a minor.
“Just with the information that we have at this point, that’s the decision that we’ve made. It’s really not even a decision, to be honest with you,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said.
Daigneault describing it as “not even a decision” raised some eyebrows but a Thunder spokesperson later clarified those comments, confirming the OKC coach simply meant it was now a league matter and out of their hands.
As for Giddey’s role on the court itself, he is averaging 12.5 points per game which is down from 16.6 in his sophomore season.
That, however, says more about rookie Chet Holmgren’s emergence as a key scoring threat and part of the Thunder offence after dominant games against Golden State and Philadelphia.
Like Daniels, the 3-point shooting remains the swing skill that could help take Giddey’s game to the next level, with the Australian guard shooting a career-low 26.3 per cent from deep.
That isn’t much of an issue anyway though with Oklahoma City as a team shooting a league-high 40.5 per cent of 3-pointers.
For Giddey, it is more about staying aggressive and attacking the rim to open up looks or otherwise using his playmaking prowess to find his teammates.
Giddey questioned on social media claims | 00:38
BEN SIMMONS (Brooklyn Nets)
There is no real update on when we could see Simmons back on the court, with the Australian starting light individual court work as he ramps up in his return from a pinched nerve.
The Nets confirmed last Friday that Simmons would be sidelined for another week at minimum after an MRI earlier in the month revealed a nerve impingement in his lower back.
JOSH GREEN (Dallas Mavericks)
Green signed a four-year, $41 million extension with the Mavericks this summer and with that news came higher expectations of the versatile Australian this season.
The 23-year-old had a season-high 15 points in a win against the Lakers last week but backed it up with a scoreless showing against the Clippers.
Admittedly Green only saw nine minutes in that loss but that two-game stretch speaks to the biggest challenge he is facing so far in his young career as he tries to find more consistency in his game, particularly on the offensive end.
Although at times there have also been question marks as to the way Dallas has used Green, who was starting to heat up against the Lakers but saw very limited minutes in the final quarter even as other players started to go cold on the shooting front.
The high energy and hustle plays on defence will always be there though and if Green can maintain that and make a few 3-pointers he will continue to be a solid role player with upside, especially if called on for a greater role when injuries strike.
DANTE EXUM (Dallas Mavericks)
The same goes for Exum, who was a shining light for Dallas off the bench in the heavy loss to the Clippers as he finished with a team-high plus-minus of +4.
Exum crashed the boards with a team-high eight rebounds in 18 minutes off the bench to go with two assists, two points and a steal.
Hustling for rebounds and deflections, Exum is an all-effort player that could help any NBA team but Dallas in particular needs all the help it can get on the defensive end.
In offence Exum is also proving especially helpful in getting the Mavericks offence going in transition, capable of either slamming it home himself or pushing the pace and finding open teammates.
JOCK LANDALE (Houston Rockets)
Landale was rewarded for his strong form at Phoenix last season with a four-year, $32 million deal but little has gone to plan since then.
While Landale was always going to play back-up to Alperen Sengun he has not seen the kind of playing time he would have been expecting, with the Rockets instead often going small.
It has resulted in Landale failing to see any more than seven minutes in his past six appearances and given Houston has won three of those games it doesn’t look like changing anytime soon.
What makes Landale’s lack of playing time even more frustrating for him is the fact that only the first year of his $32 million deal was guaranteed.
JOE INGLES (Orlando Magic)
The Orlando Magic are one of the surprise success stories of the season so far, improving to a 12-5 record which ranks right up there with Eastern Conference contenders Boston and Milwaukee.
Of course, leading the way is an exciting young core headlined by Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner while Jalen Suggs and Cole Anthony — at just 22 and 23 years old — continue to improve in their third and fourth seasons in the league respectively.
But you also need a calming, veteran presence to bring everyone together. That is where Ingles comes in, or as Anthony put it: “Joe Ingles and his grandchildren”.
“He brings that poise, brings that maturity, he settles things down, he’s willing to make the physical play and make the right pass,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosely said after the Magic’s upset win over defending champions Denver.
“He gets guys in the right position on the floor. He’s coaching on the floor. It’s so great to have him, he settles so many things down for us while we’re out there and he allows that second unit to really be themselves and thrive in the way they are.”
Ingles obviously offers the Magic spacing as a 3-point shooting threat but like Mosely referenced, it is also his ability to make the right play that makes him so valuable.
DUOP REATH (Portland Trail Blazers)
Reath has been getting consistent minutes for the rebuilding Trail Blazers, who need all the size they can get after losing starting big man Robert Williams III for the season to injury.
Portland signed Reath on a two-way contract, meaning he can be sent back to play in the G-League but for the time being the Blazers clearly like what they see from 27-year-old.
“He’s been great,” Portland coach Chauncey Billups said after Reath’s career-high 16-point effort in a loss to Cleveland earlier in the month.
“It’s one of the reasons I wanted him on our team so bad is because he is different to our other fives. [He is] able to space the floor.
“Not only that but he’s rebounding, he’s never giving up out there. He’s got a good feel for the game. You can kind of run a few things for him at the elbow.
“He can make different reads and passes. I’m happy to see Duop playing so well but I’m not surprised.”
Of course, what makes Reath even more valuable is the fact that not only does he have size at 6-foot-11 but he is also an outside shooting threat.
Kevin Durant and the Suns learned that in a 120-107 win last week, where Reath went 2-of-3 from deep on the way to scoring 10 quick points as the Trail Blazers fought back early in the second quarter.
“That run where Duop Reath scored 10 straight points… that changed the whole complexity of the game,” Durant said.
Reath also had a rebound and steal in the period as Portland went from 34-21 down after the first quarter to within one point of the Suns when the Australian headed to the bench.
MATISSE THYBULLE (Portland Trail Blazers)
It was always going to be an adjustment for Thybulle, going from a title contender like Philadelphia to a rebuilding team in the Trail Blazers.
With one eye to the future, Portland has given rookie forward Toumani Camara more minutes and eventually a starting spot ahead of Thybulle.
What makes Thybulle a valuable teammate though is the fact he has taken all of it in his stride, willing to play whatever role he needs to for the team.
It doesn’t necessarily mean Thybulle is seeing fewer minutes. In fact, he has only dipped below 20 minutes in just four of 12 games this season.
Like Daniels, Thybulle has used his length, athleticism and defensive instincts to make an impact for the Trail Blazers even when his shots aren’t falling, with seven steals and three blocks in his last two games.
Thybulle has had a few solid shooting performances recently too, going 3-of-6 and 3-of-4 from downtown in games against Cleveland and Utah.
PATTY MILLS (Atlanta Hawks)
Finally, Mills saw minutes for the first time this season. It was just five and the fact that is noteworthy says a lot about the veteran guard’s sad situation at the Hawks.
With plenty of guards already on the roster there isn’t necessarily a need for Mills to play high minutes.
Instead, Mills and his expiring contract make him an easily moveable trade asset should the Hawks make any moves before the deadline or next summer.
For what it’s worth, having made his only 3-point attempt in the recent blowout win over the Wizards, Mills is now shooting 100 per cent from deep this season.