Even though he is still part of the squad, Dante Exum will not be in uniform this Saturday for the match against Spain (11:00), but also Tuesday for the second match against Canada (13:30). A hard blow for Australia, which will be deprived of one of its best substitutes, and a “Swiss army knife” on the back positions.
NBA finalist with the Mavericks, Exum dislocated his right index finger against France in a preparation match, and he has not fully recovered. An absence that worries Andrew Bogut, the former international pivot.
Read >> Presentation of Group A (Australia, Canada, Spain and Greece)
“Dante is not a player whose stat sheet you look at and say he's going to miss so many points, so many rebounds, so many assists… On the other hand, he's someone who is reliable.” explains Bogut. “Every time he comes in with the Boomers, things seem to settle down a little bit. He's not as inconsistent. I'm a little worried about losing him. I think they're probably comfortable with the rotations they have and they're hoping that if they want to get to where they want to get to, they're going to need Dante later in the tournament, but it might not be until Game 4 or 5.”
With Exum out, Brian Goorjian is expected to rely on Matthew Dellavedova to give Josh Giddey a breather, while Joe Ingles could get some game time to bring some creativity. Since the start of the preparation, the Boomers coach has trusted Josh Giddey and Patty Mills to start at the back, supported by Dyson Daniels, Nick Kay and Jock Landale.
