Here’s the latest iteration of the LA2028 Olympic Boomers Roster Tracker 🇦🇺🦘🏀 Prior to Johnny Furphy’s season ending knee injury, he had become a justifiable lock. Given his age, it seems far more likely than not that he’ll bounce back from the injury & earn a spot on the 2028 LA Roster. Perhaps it’s somewhat out of desperate optimism, but I have kept him in as a lock 🤕🙏🏻. Rocco Zikarsky also moves up into the “Pretty Likely” category after a truly impressive G-League campaign. It’s clear he’s put on some size & strength, but it’s his shooting that’s really taken a leap. Rocco is becoming a genuine stretch 5, and at 7’4, that is scary! Whether Rocco has developed into the force we hope he becomes by 2028 - or not, it would be silly not to include him, even just from a development perspective. Whether he’s the 2nd big or a developing 12th man, he should be included. Dante Exum takes a tumble down the list, purely due to injuries & uncertainty of where his body will be at age 33. If he’s healthy & doesn’t lose a step, it’s difficult to think he wouldn’t have a spot on this roster - but that’s a huge maybe. For very different reasons, Luke Paul, Nick Kay & Mitch Creek have all jumped up into the “On the Cusp” category. Luke Paul’s trajectory puts him on a path similar to Giddey in 2021 & Simmons in 2016 - a very young guard with a lot of potential but very limited experience. He will likely be battling for the spot with vets like Exum, Armstrong & Will Hickey. If this was Brian Goorjian, I would say Paul has next to no chance - but it’s not, and we could see Caporn take a different approach. Nick Kay is a player that proves time and time again that he’s loyal to the soil and can fit in on any team. It’s not to say he’s a shoe in, or even likely at age 35, but it would be wrong for me to count him out. Mitch Creek will be 37, and for a player who started his career with a dependency on athleticism, you would think his time playing for the Boomers had passed. However, Creek has developed into a knockdown shooter & is arguably in the best form of his career. I suspect his inclusion in the next Boomers qualifying roster is representative of his recent play - and a forcing of their hand to get him in the mix. HERE’S THE LIST: 🔒 Locks: • Josh Giddey - 25 • Dyson Daniels - 24 • Jock Landale - 32 • Tyrese Proctor - 24 • Johnny Furphy - 23 ⬆️🤕 🔓 Almost Locks: • Jack Mcveigh - 32 📈 Pretty Likely: • Lachlan Olbrich - 24 • Rocco Zikarsky - 21 ⬆️ 🌟 On The Cusp: • Nick Kay - 35 ⬆️ • Mitch Creek - 37 ⬆️ • Dante Exum - 33 ⬇️ • Luke Paul - 19 ⬆️ • Oscar Cluff - 26 • Austin Rapp - 23 • Angus Glover - 29 • Dash Daniels - 20 • Xavier Cooks - 33 • Taran Armstrong - 26 • Duop Reath - 32 • Josh Green - 27 • Jack White - 31 • Luke Travers - 27 • Will Magnay - 30 • Alex Toohey - 23 • Matisse Thybulle - 31 • Jaylin Galloway - 25 • Alex Condon - 23 • Reyne Smith - 25 🤔 Unlikely Right Now, But Maybe: • Jordan Hunter - 31 • Alex Ducas - 27 • Will Hickey - 29 • Dejan Vasiljevic - 31 • Ben Henshall - 23 • William McDowell-White - 30 • Elijah Pepper - 27 • Max Mackinnon - 24 • Jai Fa’ale - 19 ⬆️ 🧬 Too Old but Not Impossible: • Matthew Dellavedova - 38 • Brock Motum - 37 • Chris Goulding - 39 🌱 Too Young but Not Impossible: • Che Brogan - 22 • Jacob Furphy - 22 • Roman Siulepa - 22 • Alex Dickerson - 20 • Jongkuch Mach - 20 • Will Hamilton - 19 • Antonio Browne - 18 • Ajak Nyuon - 21 • Luke Fennell - 22 🎯 It’s A Long Shot: • Owen Foxwell - 25 • Sam McDaniel - 32 • Isaac Humphries - 30 • Sam Froling - 30 • Josh Bannan - 26 • Keanu Pinder - 33 • Jonah Bolden - 32 • Anthony Dell’Orso - 25 • Harry Wessels - 25 • Akoldah Gak - 25 • Tom Wilson - 31 🚫 Never Say Never… But Never: • Patty Mills - 40 • Kyrie Irving - 36 • Ben Simmons - 32 • Bryce Cotton - 36

It has been great for Patty to leave the NBA & get regular minutes and in-game reps. It was great for Matthew Dellavedova to leave the NBA & get regular minutes and in-game reps. Could we see a sharpened NBL Joe Ingles make another Boomers push? 👀

I will be the first to admit that I counted Patty out of future Boomer teams 👎🏻 Oh how wrong I may have been 🤯🔥🇦🇺

LUKE IS A TAIPAN 🌟 One of Australia's brightest prospects Luke Paul has signed with the @CairnsTaipans for NBL27 🐍 Read more: bit.ly/440BHs9

This is sad 👎

Addictive! Build your own Australian Opals team for the 2026 World Cup and LA Olympics. Here's mine. @bouncepassau Special thanks to @boomersfandom Link: basketball.com.au/news/opals…

RPG Leaders ⏩ 2026 #adidasEurocamp 10.7 - Oscar Cluff 8.0 - Malique Lewis 7.5 - Javon Bardwell 7.0 - Kara Sene 6.7 - Joaquim Boumtje-Boumtje 6.0 - Arturas Butajevas 5.3 - Stefan Joksimovic 5.3 - Sifeng Huan 5.3 - JK Mach 5.0 - Max Mackinnon 5.0 - Josiah Rose 5.0 - Jalen Davis 5.0 - Emmanuel Ahamefule

NBL Next Star Karim Lopez has reportedly received a first-round invite to the 2026 NBA Draft Green Room, per ESPN's Jeremy Woo. Read more: bit.ly/43meeS3

Biggest Takeaways for our Aussies 🇦🇺 1. Max MacKinnon will be an immediate contributor for any NBL team 🔥 2. Dash Daniels will be an NBA player, even if it’s just from his Defensive side alone. 3. Jongkuch Mach is much stronger than he was a year ago. 4. Justin Akengbowa may be the next Matisse Thybulle. 5. Oscar Cluff has the potential to offer more than what was seen at Purdue. Despite not having the greatest camp, there were interesting & positive flashes. On the Kiwi side, Jackson Ball was extremely impressive & may crack the rotation for Wisconsin next year.

60s Wilt is a cheat code 😂

Big JK was a game-high 22 in just 14 minutes in a 27-point win. The size is captivating, the ability is rapidly developing.

Others

3 Rebounds 3-point Attempt

Point Guard Oscar Cluff goes coast to coast for the finish. I bet you didn’t see this at Purdue 👀

Pretty move for Max MacKinnon. Max top scored for the Next Stars in their first Eurocamp game. 13 points (6/14), 8 rebounds (4OReb) & 2 assists in 21 minutes

Here’s another clip. Akengbowa had 2 blocks and a steal in 12 minutes.

Meet the 17-year old Australian playing for the NBL Next Stars that you’ve probably never heard of: Justin Akengbowa @etiinosasere He’s a raw forward/wing, but at 6’7 with a 7’1 wingspan, Akengbowa possesses the tools to be a world-class defender. I just watched him for the first time at Eurocamp, and while he went scoreless in the Next Stars first game, his length & defensive potential really stood out. Here’s a clip so you can see for yourself:

This is awesome!!! Watch as Jayden Cecil gets switched onto the opponents Center. Before the ball has even been shot, Cecil can be seen boxing out his man until he’s about a meter out of bounds 😂😂😂

It’s by no means perfect, but I think Dash Daniels 3-point shot looks better than it did a year ago. He went 1/2 from 3 & 1/4 from the free throw line.