Matisse Thybulle is the biggest casualty from Boomers team selections as Australia finalised its 12-man squad for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
According to an ESPN report, Thybulle, 27, who plays for Portland in the NBA, has missed out on selection in what shapes as a massive call for Boomers coach Brian Goorjian.
Thybulle, a defensive stalwart for the team who helped Australia win their first ever Olympic medal in men’s basketball, beating Slovenia in the bronze medal game in Tokyo, was deemed to be a certain pick, even telling ESPN after being named in the 22-man squad, the team planned to play “at tempo, at pace and downhill”.
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Thybulle’s defence was a huge bonus for Goorjian in the past and now the Boomers will have to compete against some of the best attacking players in the world in Canada’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jamal Murray, along with potentially Slovenia’s Luka Doncic, without him on the court.
Matisse Thybulle will not be going to Paris. Getty
Along with Thybulle’s omission, the biggest surprise selection was the addition of Matthew Dellavedova, who makes an unlikely comeback to the Olympic arena after his axing ahead of last year’s FIBA World Cup.
“People will look at that and say how did Delly make it. How did he get back in? His squad didn’t lose a practice,” Andrew Bogut told NBL Media’s Olympic podcast The Gold Standard.
“The team that he was on over the three or four days, even before I arrived, they said that his team was winning 90 per cent of the drills and the five on fives and all the stuff that they were doing.
Thybulle won an Olympic medal in his maiden tournament representing Australia in Tokyo. Getty
“He’s a guy that if you have him as your 12 or your 11 and he hasn’t played two straight games, he’s got DNPs and you put him in that third game for a three-minute spurt because someone got in foul trouble, he’s going to go bat out of hell.
“I think that’s what they wanted. Obviously it does affect some of the younger guys in (Thybulle) and that not making the squad but I can see how Delly definitely deserved to make the team.”
NBL stars Chris Goulding, Xavier Cooks, Jack White and Dejan Vasiljevic have also been left out of the Boomers team for Paris.
But in a huge boost for the NBL, Tasmania JackJumpers Will Magnay and Jack McVeigh will make their Olympic debuts.
Josh Green, Xavier Cooks, Duop Reath, Will Magnay, Nick Kay, Matisse Thybulle, Chris Goulding, Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels pose in melbourne ahead of Paris 2024. Getty
The team is set to be announced on Sunday, but early indications suggest Patty Mills and Joe Ingles will compete at a fifth Olympic Games.
“I think realistically talking, I think the podium is going to be very hard, if we’re being honest,” Bogut added.
“I think they need a really good run and some lucky bounces. In these tournaments, you need a lucky bounce every now and then.
“You need something, a lucky quarter or someone fouls out, someone gets hurt, whatever it is on the other team, and you have a good little run there.
“But we’ve got the pool of death and people aren’t talking about that. We’ve got a pool that’s going to get two qualifiers from Europe.”
REPORTED BOOMERS SQUAD
Josh Giddey
Dyson Daniels
Josh Green
Patty Mills
Danté Exum
Jock Landale
Duop Reath
Joe Ingles
Jack McVeigh
Will Magnay
Matthew Dellavedova
Nick Kay