The Boomers are confident they have the cattle to contain Slovenian superstar Luka Doncic when they resume their rivalry in a must-win World Cup clash.
Australia beat Slovenia to claim a historic Olympic bronze in Tokyo two years ago, the program’s first international medal after a string of gutting fourth places.
The world No.3 Boomers’ sights are set on gold at the World Cup but to get there they’ll have to find a way past Doncic on Friday and then Georgia on Sunday in two must-win, second-round games in Okinawa, Japan.
Doncic is the tournament’s leading scorer, averaging 30 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in just 31 minutes per game.
That includes a quiet night against Cape Verde on Wednesday, Doncic scoring 19 in a comfortable win when their spot in the second-round was already assured.
And, worryingly for Australia, the 24-year-old has made just 24 per cent of shots from long range.
“We know who Luka is and how good he is,” emerging Boomers star Josh Green, a teammate of Doncic’s at the Dallas Mavericks, said.
“We’ll do our work, do our film and follow the game plan.”
The pair had a bet before their Tokyo encounter, Doncic forced to parade in a Boomers singlet when Australia prevailed.
“We haven’t come up with a bet yet, that’s still in the air,” Green said after his side booked their second-round berth with a win over Japan.
“There is history, but it’s about what’s going to happen on Friday and I think we’ll be ready to go.”
Athletic defenders Green and Matisse Thybulle will likely be tasked with curbing Doncic’s influence, while the side has 20-year-old Josh Giddey at point guard in a different look to what Slovenia experienced in Tokyo.
“We know them from the Olympics two years ago, but I think they have a little bit of a different team,” Slovenian coach Aleksander Sekulic said.
“They belong (among) the teams competing for the medal. They have this athleticism and experience, I think nine NBA players. It’s going to be a very interesting game.”
Giddey has built into his first major tournament, admitting he and the side learnt plenty from a three-point loss to Germany.
“Obviously a lot of people are here to see him,” he told ESPN of Doncic.
“He carries a heavy load for Slovenia, so a lot of our game plan is going to revolve around him.
“We’ve had the opportunity to play against these teams where they have a superstar or an NBA player, so Luka is obviously on a different level, but we’ve got Josh Green, Matisse – those types of guys – for that job. We’ll be ready for it.”
Damo
Roar Rookie
Very winnable game IMO. obviously keep Doncic under control but I think we have better depth across the board especially in the key. Would like to see us dump it low early, Cooks could be up for another big one. Main thing Goorj has to control is Kay getting isolated on D at the top of the key. If Slovenia start to do it, he needs to get White in quickly to support.