Australia basketball team the boomers looking to maintain their strong overall performance in the Second Round

Having won five of their six games in qualifying so far, Australia enters the Second Round in a strong position in Group F of the Asia qualifiers. The Boomers will be looking to maintain their strong performance overall, despite a disappointing third window overall.

After losing their first game of window 3 to a resurgent and reinforced Japanese team, the Boomers’ victory over the Philippines in the second game was marred by an altercation between the teams.  

Prior to window 3 it had been plain sailing for Australia, and the Boomers will be looking to restore that trajectory.  Capturing the strength in depth that Australia has enjoyed, they have scored more points from the bench than all of their opponents in round one. They have also shared the ball incredibly effectively, sitting behind only New Zealand in assists per game in Asian Qualifying.Australia’s success has been largely achieved by committee. The team has been an incredibly effective unit, getting key contributions from many different players, and adapting well to the likes of Matthew Dellavedova and Thon Maker coming into the team.

Chris Goulding has shot almost 60% from three point range, going 13 for 22 and Daniel Kickert has been almost as effective with his 11 for 22, shooting 50%. Goulding is also the only of Australia’s roster to have had multiple 20 point games to this point.

Mitch Creek has been a real force on the boards, pulling down almost 9 a game for Australia, whilst only averaging 20 minutes on the court. He’s also proven a potent counter balance to the outside shooting of the Boomers, ranking 8th in Asian qualifying in points in the paint.

The role of Jason Cadee in creating offense for Australia should not be understated (4.8 assists per game), but nor should his ability to protect the ball (0.3 turnovers per game). With the Australian roster for window four missing several key contributors from previous games, the team will likely look to Kadee to pick up a larger role in Australia’s offense.Australia will travel to Qatar in the first game of the window, before returning home to play Kazakhstan in the second game.

Qatar (FIBA World Rank 61)

Australia will feel confident taking on Qatar who have a 2-4 record going into the game. Their two victories came against Iraq who have now been eliminated from Round Two. Qatar put up one of the lowest scores across the qualifiers in their first game against Iran, scoring just 39 points as a team. If Australia can maintain the defensive pressure they have established in earlier games, they will be heavy favourites.

Qatar’s most notable team statistic is how effective they have been in protecting the rim, averaging four blocks a game, which is in line with the best teams in Asia qualifying. Abdulrahman Saad has been the team’s most consistent offensive leader, playing in all of Qatar’s games and averaging 16.2 points per game. In the three games he’s played, Clinton Johnson has also been a potent scoring threat, averaging 17.7 points per game.