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This year's National Basketball Association season tips off now, marking the initial occasion in a ten years that Australia's pair of most prominent basketball stars – Ben Simmons and Patty Mills – are without a roster spot.

This change signals a changing of the guard, as Boomers’ backcourt duo Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels step up as key starters for playoff aspirants, with new nine-figure contracts making them some of the country's highest athletic income generators.

They aren't the only ones. Fourteen Australians are expected to play for minutes around the league, ranging from veteran centres Jock Landale and Duop Reath, up-and-coming forwards in Johnny Furphy and Josh Green, to intriguing rookies like Tyrese Proctor and Rocco Zikarsky.

Josh Giddey Aiming to Show His Worth

After protracted discussions with the Bulls, the guard finally inked his new deal worth $100m ($153m) over four seasons last month. It’s a huge contract for the Melbourne native, but in league standards it is affordable for Giddey’s position and profile as a primary ball-handler. Hesitation for Chicago’s front office to pay top dollar means the 23-year-old begins this year with much to prove.

After being moved by the Thunder at the beginning of last campaign, Giddey watched as his former squad stormed to the NBA championship without him. As the Chicago look to make the playoffs in the less competitive East, he will have to show his shooting and defensive skills are starter-worthy or else he may fall back towards the league's outskirts.

Dyson Daniels Targets Further Growth

Daniels signed the same deal as his counterpart this week, and after his most-improved player award last season, the Hawks guard’s trajectory has taken off in the city following his exit from the Pelicans. He is now praised as one of the NBA's best perimeter defenders, and led the league in takeaways with three per game – over one whole steal per match higher than the total of the runner-up.

Performing next to flamboyant Trae Young in Atlanta, the 22-year-old can be effective this season as a playmaking option and defensive stopper as long as the Hawks advance to the postseason. But if he can elevate his long-range game, which was below league average last season, and continue to enhance his passing and driving, Daniels could become one of the association's most versatile players.

Johnny Furphy A Dunking Sensation

Pacers forward Furphy has emerged as a crowd favorite in Indiana following a series of highlight-reel slam dunks in exhibition games. His acrobatics led league figure Pat Beverley to label him as the “best white dunker we’ve seen in a long time”, and an invite to the All-Star dunk contest could be on the table.

Following playing just 8 mpg per game over 50 games in his rookie campaign, the ex- college player is in the running for a Indiana rotation that might favor young players following injury to lead guard Tyrese Haliburton.

Tyrese Proctor An Outside Shot

Playmaker the Sydney native fell in the June draft all the way to the second round, where Eastern Conference contenders the Cavaliers selected him. The Cavaliers are favourites to reach the Finals from the Eastern Conference, so it would be rare for a first-year player drafted in the late picks to see significant playing minutes. But the Australian has seen minutes in pre-season, and his pro-level shooting offers him a opportunity to make an impact.

Playing Time Squeeze Ahead for Veteran Quintet

Veteran centre Jock Landale has a chance to secure the starting centre position in Memphis given highly-touted Zach Edey will be out for the start of the campaign after a surgical procedure.

In Portland, Duop Reath is the experienced reserve to youthful big men Donovan Clingan and Yang Hansen, but could play regular minutes if the Blazers become in the hunt. His teammate Matisse Thybulle is expected to be deployed as a defensive spark in a reserve role.

In the Hornets, Josh Green's off-season shoulder surgery has left him with no return date to return. The player still has a deal for next season, but won’t want to allow his teammates at the rebuilding Hornets an excessive head start. And injury has already hindered Dante Exum, who has a knee problem and has been absent for key exhibition chances in Dallas.

Australian NBA Players Fighting for Roles

Additionally, there are those who are not expected to see a lot of, if any, game action this season. Thirty-eight-year-old Joe Ingles is returned in Minnesota, but seems to be little more than a big brother ensuring Anthony Edwards in check.

Rookie Rocco Zikarsky is expected to be nurtured by the Wolves through their affiliate team. Other first-year players Lachlan Olbrich in the Bulls and Alex Toohey for the Warriors are also in the slow cooker, while the experienced Luke Travers will be aiming to win minutes alongside Proctor for the Cavaliers.

Ben Simmons and Patty Mills Fish for a Deal

Should anyone question Mills was set to retire, he answered them with a training clip posted on his accounts over the weekend, demonstrating the veteran remains in form and focused on securing one more NBA contract.

What Simmons is thinking is uncertain after an break in Australia, angling and using with a football. Although he took to social media last month to reject rumors he was done, the 29-year-old – an elite player as recently as 2021 – has not yet return to the league.