At long last, Bryce Cotton is a member of the Australian Boomers. So, what now?
It was announced on Thursday that Cotton - a six-time NBL MVP - will play for the Boomers during the FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers in July, where Australia will take on Guam and the Philippines at Perth's RAC Arena. It's, of course, a boon for the Boomers and Cotton, but how might it shape what the Australian men's national team looks like going into the next phase of major tournaments?
Cotton makes for a fascinating starting point for a few discussions that Adam Caporn and the Boomers will be forced to have internally as the program builds toward the 2027 FIBA World Cup, which is 15 months away.
How will Basketball Australia approach the case of which naturalised player to select? Could Patty Mills be affected by the Cotton development, and what does his future in the program look like anyway?
And, because any excuse to discuss the Boomers is one we'll pounce on, we take a look at what the big-man situation looks like ahead of the beginning of this World Cup cycle.
Cotton vs Thybulle... which naturalised player wins out?
Here lies one of Basketball Australia's biggest challenges as we enter this World Cup cycle.
Under FIBA regulations, each national team is permitted to include one naturalised player on their roster per competition. In the context of the Boomers, this rule is highly relevant when considering both Cotton and Matisse Thybulle, both of whom are American-born players who have acquired Australian citizenship.
Simply put: going into a World Cup or Olympics, the Boomers can only take one.
Consideration would have to be put into multiple factors. Cotton is 33 and Thybulle just turned 29, so would you theoretically get a whole extra World Cup and Olympics cycle from the latter? If Cotton is selected for the upcoming World Cup and/or Olympics, that would make back-to-back cycles that Thybulle would be omitted - there's a good argument that decision didn't pay off in Paris 2024 - so would he shun the program altogether after that? Thybulle is widely regarded as a high-character individual but most wouldn't blame him for moving on from the program if those circumstances eventuate.
Then, there's of course the consideration into the basketball need. It's why Thybulle didn't make the Boomers' last Olympics team, with then head coach Brian Goorjian opting for Dyson Daniels as his primary wing defender, buoyed by Josh Green; ultimately, the depth in that position was still lacking, so that's probably an argument in favour of Thybulle. If we look at players we'd call 'wing defenders', we're discussing Daniels, Green, Johnny Furphy, and even Danté Exum may fall into that category at times. Compare that with the pick-and-roll creators, and shooters - what Cotton would fall into - the Boomers have on hand, and you're looking at Josh Giddey, Daniels, Exum, Tyrese Proctor, perhaps Nathan Sobey, Will McDowell-White, and Taran Armstrong, and theoretically, pending father time, Matthew Dellavedova, Patty Mills, and Chris Goulding.
Any extra shooting next to Giddey and Daniels is a bonus, so Cotton would be useful in that regard. There's also the consideration of facing countries deep in a tournament where having multiple point-of-attack defenders is a necessity, so Thybulle would get the nod there. It probably won't come down to which player is better; the nod may well end up going to the player profile most needed at the time.
Caporn has time to debate it, and there'd be value in both entering camp ahead of the World Cup, but it's a vital - and tough - decision that will have to be made.
Will Patty Mills play?
Mills is a Boomers icon; he's a five-time Olympian, leading scorer at the 2012 Olympics, the first Indigenous Australian to carry Australia's flag in an Opening Ceremony, and a whole lot more.
He's also about to turn 38, so his basketball career is naturally nearing its end. What's fascinating is that Mills hasn't come close to mentioning the word 'retirement'. He's currently playing - quite well, mind you - for La Laguna Tenerife, and seems open to a potential NBL return if the situation is right; unsurprisingly, he's not hiding the fact that he's eyeing the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, likely as an international basketball swansong.
While his accomplishments are undeniable - as one of Australia's most decorated basketball players, especially on the international stage - each nation only gets 12 spots going into a major tournament, and the Boomers aren't the type of program to offer it to someone as a ceremonial gesture. So, if Mills is to prolong his international career, he'll have to earn the spot; the questions then become: will he be at the level, and will there be a need for his play-type?
Let's assume he's still at the level, but not a surefire lock. If Proctor and Green emerge as obvious selections, for example, would it make more sense to seek depth in another position? Then, there's the discussion point worth having after Thursday's development: if the wing position is filled and Thybulle is no longer a consideration, opening the door for Cotton to join the team, is the six-time NBL MVP better suited than Mills to fill that spot at this point in his career?
Of course, there's every chance Mills' skillset is still needed and he shows that in camp; it's just that this is the first time Basketball Australia has really had to face this conversation in nearly 20 years, and the spectre of an in-prime Cotton naturally has the potential to be a factor in whatever outcome is ultimately reached.
Which big separates himself from the rest?
This has become an interesting conversation within the Australian basketball ecosystem.
Let's just get one thing straight off the bat: Jock Landale, 30, is the Boomers' starting centre - and a primary piece - unless proven otherwise, and he's earned that through his play both internationally and in the NBA.
This discussion is more about who's going to emerge as that potential backup, and who may take over for Landale in the future. Ask one person, and they'll tell you that it's Rocco Zikarsky; the 7'3 big-man had an extremely impressive season with the Iowa Wolves, averaging 14.8 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game.
Ask another, and they'll say it's Alex Condon, who won a national championship with the Florida Gators in 2025 and has the type of play-style - which includes an impressive passing game - that fits perfectly with the Boomers. Lachlan Olbrich also showed to be an elite G-League player, and performed well in the stints he earned with the Chicago Bulls this NBA season. There's even Oscar Cluff, who has a lot of fans around Australian basketball following his senior year with Purdue, and could eventually enter that conversation.
It's a good problem to have, with the play-style of all three young bigs likely to translate relatively well into the FIBA game, so it's just a matter of which one emerges.
Caporn could also continue to go in the direction of bringing more seasoned big-man options to camp; perhaps those playing in the NBL or abroad. Will Magnay and Duop Reath were the back-up options at the Paris Olympics, and any of Sam Froling, Keanu Pinder, Isaac Humphries, or Jordan Hunter wouldn't look meaningfully out of place at a Boomers camp.