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The 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup is set to officially begin on Aug. 25, but exhibition play is already underway. While there’s an incredible amount of talent across the board in this event, perhaps no team is more talented than Australia with upwards of 10 NBA players on the initial roster.

“I would say unequivocall the best roster on paper that we’ve ever been able to put out there,” assistant coach David Patrick recently told me.

Not only is this arguably the best roster that Australia has ever put together, but the team is led by 20-year-old guard Josh Giddey. The Oklahoma City Thunder’s rising star will have the chance to be the focal point of the Boomers’ offense as they look to obtain a medal in this event.

“He’s a huge piece of this moving forward. What he is, and as we get him with the group, and as it expands, a lot of it’s gotta be built around him,” head coach Brian Goorjian recently told ESPN when talking about Giddey.

Just two years ago, right before the 2021 NBA Draft, Giddey was competing for a roster spot with the Boomers ahead of the Tokyo Olympics. While he ultimately didn’t make the cut, he’s made dramatic improvements to his game and is now the headliner of the group. Being the face of such a talented roster for a country with a rich basketball history is quite the responsibility, but one Giddey is ready to take on. In fact, in Australia’s exhibition opener against Venezuela he produced 14 points, nine assists, eight rebounds and one block in just 24 minutes while shooting an efficient 5-of-7 from the floor and notching a +29 on the box score.

The FIBA World Cup is extremely difficult given how many teams are in the event and the level of talent that participates.

“The reality is the World Cup is way harder than the Olympics,” said Patrick. “You gotta get through 32 teams to get a gold medal, whereas in the Olympics it’s much less. You’re getting a better pool of talent. Your opportunity to lose is much more.”

Regardless of how many teams will be participating, Australia legitimately has one of the best rosters. The Boomers won the bronze medal at the most recent Olympics and will look to build upon that momentum here.

Again, Australia has a rich basketball history and Giddey will look to continue that legacy. Born in Melbourne, he grew up with the mentorship of two parents that played professionally in Australia. Giddey spent a ton of time training at the Center of Excellence, formerly known as the AIS (Australian Institute of Sport) and the NBA Academy, which is under the same roof. He then joined the NBL’s Next Stars Program with the Adelaide 36ers before being selected No. 6 overall in the 2021 NBA Draft by Oklahoma City.

The next step for Giddey in emerging as one of the best Australian players in the country’s history will be a chance at earning a gold medal in this summer’s event. Regardless of the outcome, he’s on track to become a star at the NBA level and will have plenty more opportunity to represent his home country.