Aussies everywhere: Our NBA season preview

• Record 135 international players make NBA rosters
• How to watch every 2025-26 NBA game in Australia
• Complete guide: Every Aussie in the NBA

The NBA is back and the Australian flavour in the league keeps getting stronger and stronger.

From last season's Most Improved Player and Defensive Player of the Year finalist in Dyson Daniels and Chicago Bulls starting point guard Josh Giddey both signing mega $100m USD extensions with their franchises, to the highlight reel himself in Johnny Furphy expected to have a breakout season and a bunch of rookies getting their first taste of the NBA - our 14 Aussies will play a big role in the 2025-26 season.

Basketball.com.au has all your 'Aussies in the NBA' coverage sorted, including features on your favourite star from Down Under, break downs of contract situations, progress reports from our first-year young guns and even interviews with NBA personalities about our green and gold heroes flying the flag in the world's best league.

While former NBL Next Star Alex Toohey's Golden State Warriors are part of season tip-off on October 22, every other team featuring Australians gets their campaign started on October 23.

AUSTRALIANS IN THE NBA

Atlanta Hawks: Dyson Daniels

Charlotte Hornets: Josh Green

Chicago Bulls: Josh Giddey, Lachlan Olbrich (two-way deal)

Cleveland Cavaliers: Tyrese Proctor, Luke Travers (two-way deal)

Dallas Mavericks: Dante Exum

Golden State Warriors: Alex Toohey (two-way deal)

Indiana Pacers: Johnny Furphy

Memphis Grizzlies: Jock Landale

Minnesota Timberwolves: Joe Ingles, Rocco Zikarsky (two-way deal)

Portland Trailblazers: Duop Reath, Matisse Thybulle

SEASON OPENER SCHEDULE

Wednesday, October 22

• LA Lakers vs Golden State Warriors (Alex Toohey), 1pm

Thursday, October 23

• NY Knicks vs Cleveland Cavaliers (Tyrese Proctor, Luke Travers), 10am
• Charlotte Hornets (Josh Green) vs Brooklyn Nets, 10am
• Atlanta Hawks (Dyson Daniels) vs Toronto Raptors, 10.30am
• Memphis Grizzlies (Jock Landale) vs New Orleans Pelicans, 11am
• Chicago Bulls (Josh Giddey, Lachlan Olbrich) vs Detroit Pistons, 11am
• Dallas Mavericks (Dante Exum - injured) vs San Antonio Spurs, 12pm
• Portland Trailblazers (Duop Reath, Matisse Thybulle) vs Minnesota Timberwolves (Joe Ingles, Rocco Zikarsky), 1pm

OUR SEASON PREDICTIONS

Aussie Breakout Star: It's hard to go past Indiana Pacers' second-year player in Johnny Furphy after the offseason and preseason he's had. Despite limited regular season playing time, Furphy already has a highlight reel most other veterans would be envious of and with the Pacers experiencing some changes, such as Tyrese Haliburton missing the season through injury and Myles Turner moving to Milwaukee, there could be more opportunity for the highflying Furphy.

Season News Headline: Josh Giddey makes the All-Star team and Dyson Daniels wins Defensive Player of the Year.

Unexpected Impact: We know Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels will be major keys for their team's playoffs aspirations in 2025-26 but the Aussie we're tipping to be a massive contributor is none other than Jock Landale. After a couple of seasons of being the third-string big behind Alperun Sengun and Steven Adams at Houston, Landale has a new lease on life in Memphis and will be part of the starting five while Zach Edey recovers from injury.

Aussie Pride Moment: Johnny Furphy enters the dunk competition at NBA All-Star 2026 and takes home the title, making history as the first Aussie to do so!

BASKETBALL.COM.AU 'AUSSIES IN THE NBA' COVERAGE

NBA 2K26 tips All-Star numbers for Giddey

Australian point guard Josh Giddey will average a near 20-point triple double in the 2025-26 National Basketball Association for the Chicago Bulls.

NBA 2K26 simulated Giddey (82 OVR), Boomers teammates Dyson Daniels (83 OVR) and Matisse Thybulle's (75 OVR) campaigns ahead of the start of the NBA season tomorrow (AEDT).

Giddey, 23, averaged 19.8 points, 8.6 rebounds and 7.6 assists in the 82-game simulation while Daniels delivered 14.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.4 steals, short of the mark required to break the all-time steals record of 301 held by Alvin Robertson.

Thybulle, who has the same steals rating (98) as Daniels in NBA 2K26 averaged 7.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.2 steals for the Portland Trail Blazers.

NBA 2K26's season sim also predicted the reigning NBA Champions, Oklahoma City Thunder, would repeat and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander would earn Finals MVP again.

For the full story, click here.

Meet Australia's $307m Boomers backcourt

Boomers stars Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels are now worth a combined $307M — the most expensive backcourt in Australian basketball history.

Giddey, 23, and Daniels, 22, both signed four-year USD $100M rookie contract extensions before the start of the 2025-26 National Basketball Association season.

Melbourne-born Giddey inked his deal with the Chicago Bulls on September 10, 2025 and Bendigo-born Daniels, today, with the Atlanta Hawks.

Both Victorians started for the Boomers at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris under then head coach Brian Goorjian.

They will be just 25 years old at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and in their primes at the 2032 Olympic Games in Brisbane.

Australia's veteran backcourt, "FIBA" Patty Mills has earned USD $85.5M in his 16-year NBA career while Matthew Dellavedova earned USD $45M during his nine-year NBA career. Free agent Mills is still unsigned heading into the 2025-26 and Dellavedova is the captain of the Sydney Kings in the NBL.

For the full story, click here.

Cavaliers' Proctor already more than meets the eye

The Cleveland Cavaliers won 64 games last season and were the top seed in the Eastern Conference but they're arguably better this year.

They have Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, they've invested hundreds of millions into their roster and somewhere in that mix sits Tyrese Proctor, a 21-year-old Australian rookie, who played alongside some of the best college basketball players of his era at Duke University.

With a powerhouse team and pedigree player, the NBA Draft experienced seemed like it would be a breeze for Proctor, but it didn't unfold as expected, at least not on the surface.

Proctor arrived in Cleveland as the 49th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft — a year later than many thought he'd go.

He was supposed to leave Duke a season earlier, but instead finished his college career as a fifth option on a championship-contending roster, largely confined to spot-up duties on one of the most talented college teams in recent memory. When draft night came, he fell.

The fall, however, came with a safety net. A reported contract guarantee protected him, he wouldn't disappear and at minimum, he'd get a chance.

For the full story, click here.

Most Improved Pay: Daniels signs USD $100m extension

Australian Dyson Daniels turned his 2024-25 Most Improved Player Award into one of 2025-26's Most Improved Pay packets, signing a four-year, guaranteed USD $100M  contract extension with the Atlanta Hawks.

Daniels, 22, was heading into the final year of his USD $25M four-year rookie deal, signed with the New Orleans Pelicans in 2022, that would have earned him USD $7.7M.

The Bendigo-born National Basketball Association Most Improved Player, who led the league in steals (229) last season, was eligible for a contract extension before the October 21 (AEDT) deadline. He will become an Unrestricted Free Agent in 2030-31 at age 27.

For the full contract breakdown, click here.

Bull on Parade: Olbrich's fitting home in Chicago

Lachlan Olbrich may have already found himself a long-term home in the NBA.

The Aussie big man surprised many by taking his game to another level in last season's NBL Championship Series as he helped lead the Illawarra Hawks to a drought-breaking title, stepping up in the absence of injured star Sam Froling for games four and five.

Not featured on many mock drafts, Olbrich surprised scouts and officials once again at the NBA Draft Combine, leading to the Adelaide product achieving a lifelong dream when he was drafted 55th overall by the Los Angeles Lakers - with his rights traded to the Chicago Bulls.

Olbrich's rise to become a drafted talent was all due to one quality, his versatility. And it's that same quality which may see him become a longtime prospect for the Bulls, according to Chicago beat writer Will Gottlieb from CHGO.

"I know the Bulls like really value big men who can make plays, who can screen, who can run, and who can operate in dribble hand-offs," Gottlieb told basketball.com.au.

For the full feature, click here.

Could 'Ballard of Ben' join Ingles and Zikarsky?

Australian free agent Ben Simmons has three potential National Basketball Association suitors just days before the start of the 2025-26 season.

They are the Boston Celtics, Minnesota Timberwolves and Detroit Pistons.

Bleacher Report's Scott Polacek identified those three landing spots based on their team needs after three-time NBA All-Star, 2018 Rookie of the Year, two-time All-NBA Defensive First Team member (2020 and 2021) and 2020 NBA Steals leader wasn't renewed by the Los Angeles Clippers after last season.

Simmons, 29, should be smack bang in the middle of his prime but the past five years have been mired in injury, hold-outs, trades and buy-outs after the Philadelphia 76ers signed him to a maximum five-year USD $177.2M extension in 2020.

Instead, Simmons is now searching for a landing spot, for veteran league minimum, that suits both camps.

The Melbourne-born point-forward was bought out by the Brooklyn Nets before the trade deadline last season and signed with the Los Angeles Clippers, alongside fellow Australian Patty Mills, for the remainder of the season.

Simmons was reportedly offered a one-year deal by the New York Knicks, which he rejected.

For the full story on Simmons' potential landing spot, click here.

Rocco Zikarsky: A big project with big upside

Rocco Zikarsky is enormous.

Not just tall, but enormous.

At 7'3", he moves through spaces differently than most humans, and when you stand next to him, the scale becomes difficult to comprehend. But what's remarkable about Zikarsky isn't just his height, it's that he moves well. For a frame that large, he has a fluidity that can catch you off guard.

The Minnesota Timberwolves noticed and with a rumoured promise ahead of the NBA Draft this June, Zikarsky set up shop in Minnesota preparing for the draft.

The Timberwolves had noticed something broader happening in the league - the NBA is once again trending bigger.

For years, the league obsessed over ‘small ball’, spacing and shooting that necessitated spreading the floor. Smaller lineups became fashionable, led by the Golden State Warriors who won multiple championships with Draymond Green at centre in crunch time minutes.

But two seasons ago the Timberwolves reached the Western Conference Finals with Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert, two massive frontcourt players, sharing the floor. And again last year, with Gobert being paired alongside Julius Randle.

When teams saw that work, when they saw that size could still be effective, the priorities began to shift. Now, across the league, teams are hunting for big men who can do more than just stand in the paint.

That's the strategic context for why Minnesota selected both Rocco Zikarsky and Joan Beringer in this year's NBA Draft. Two young bigs, both projects, both the kind of calculated risks that made sense as the game moved back towards valuing size.

For the full feature on Zikarsky, click here.

Triple threat the missing piece for 'All-Star' Giddey

Josh Giddey's off-season was filled with uncertainty but what is certain is he must add an off-the-dribble three to unlock his NBA All-Star potential.

That is the view of Chicago Bulls beat writer for CHGO, Will Gottlieb, who has been covering the team for almost 10 years.

The 6'8" Australian Boomers point guard, who has been red-hot in the NBA preseason, was a restricted free agent this past offseason after spending one season with the Bulls following a trade from the Oklahoma City Thunder for defensive-stopper Alex Caruso.

Giddey enjoyed a breakout second half of the 2024-25 season, where he excelled alongside Coby White in the backcourt after Chicago traded Zach LaVine to Sacramento. He finished the year with averages of 14.8 points along with 8.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists for the Bulls, including a half-court game-winner against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in front of his home fans at the United Center.

Despite being a shining light in Chicago's season, both parties went through a free agency stalemate for months with neither side willing to budge.

That all ended in September, when the Bulls signed Giddey to a four-year $100m USD extension - signalling the famous franchise's desire to build around the No.6 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.

Gottlieb, who previously worked for The Bleacher Report and The Athletic covering the Bulls, said the Melbourne Tigers product and Chicago appear to be on the same page after a cloudy offseason.

Click here for the full preview of Giddey's season.

Tyrese Proctor looks built for the NBA

It’s early days, but Tyrese Proctor looks built for the NBA.

Proctor, 21, has made a seamless transition to the game’s highest level after a promising Summer League, followed by two double digit preseason games across four appearances,

So are we seeing an errant hot streak to start his professional career, or are witnessing the full talent of Tyrese Proctor now fully unlocked?

Delving into recent draft history, it’s not unprecedented for players to play better in the NBA than in college, particularly amongst the NCAA’s true blue-blood programs such as the Duke Blue Devils.

Look no further than Devin Booker, spot up shooter for the 2014-15 Kentucky Wildcats, a team filled with nine future NBA players, reductively-labelled defensive stopper Russell Westbrook for the 2006-07 and 207-08 UCLA Bruins, or the modestly productive Chandler Parsons for the Florida Gators across 2007-11.

All three went on to highly successful NBA peaks, and all three were bound to their roles on talented college teams. That’s not to say they were surrounded by less talent upon entry into the NBA, but over the long haul of their development cycle, they were afforded more scope to exercise their skill-sets and grow into their long term potential.

In this regard, Proctor carries some similarities. Across his three years at Duke, Proctor shared the floor with the following NBA  talent - Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, Khaman Maluach, Kyle Filipowski, Jared McCain, Dariq Whitehead and Derek Lively. This is not to mention other elite college talent such as Jeremy Roach.

For an insight into how Proctor's game fits in the NBA, click here.

Substance over Spotlight: Dyson Fashions bigger role

When the Atlanta Hawks traded for Dyson Daniels last season, they weren't seeking an offensive revelation.

They wanted a guard who could defend, genuinely defend, alongside All-Star point guard Trae Young. What they got was something more complicated - a player so relied upon that the burden almost became too much.

Daniels, 22, came to Atlanta as part of the Dejounte Murray trade, a young guard from Bendigo, with elite instincts on one end of the floor and questions pertaining to other areas of his game.

The Hawks were fine with that.

They already had their shot-makers. What they lacked was someone tough enough to make up for what Young lacked on the defensive end. To chase down opposing point guards night after night, someone with the length and positioning to make life difficult for the league's best scorers.

Daniels delivered exactly that.

For the full story, click here.

Joe Ingles: A coach in Wolves clothing

When Joe Ingles re-signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves in July, it caught people off guard.

His first season in Minnesota had appeared to not go to plan.

He had teamed up once again with former Utah Jazz teammates Rudy Gobert and Mike Conley, but while they led the team back to another Western Conference Finals, he barely played.

On the eve of his first season in Minnesota, the roster shifted around him as All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns was sensationally traded to the New York Knicks for forward Julius Randle and guard Donte DiVincenzo, two players who would likely take up playing time from the veteran Australian.

Suddenly there was no room. Ingles, who came to Minnesota with expectations of a rotation role, found himself on the outside looking in. Most veterans in that position could have grown bitter. Could have complained. Could have become a problem in the locker room.

Instead, Ingles, 38, went the other direction.

"He was serving as a real veteran leader type of a guy," The Athletic's Timberwolves reporter, Jon Krawczynski, said.

For the full feature, click here.