Projecting the Boomers' 2027 World Cup roster as the Aussies enter a new era without Mills, Ingles and Delly

There might only be three Olympic medallists left for the Boomers come 2027's FIBA World Cup in Qatar, as the Aussies enter a new era.

When the roster is announced for the tournament, we could see just Dante Exum, Jock Landale and Josh Green left from Tokyo's magical bronze medal run.

The Australian men's basketball program has revolved around the core of Patty Mills, Joe Ingles, Matthew Dellavedova, Aron Baynes and Andrew Bogut since Beijing's 2008 Olympics, but the baton has well and truly been handed to the next generation now.

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The question is, who stands up to fill the squad for the upcoming World Cup in 2027 and Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, beyond the new leaders of the team in Josh Giddey, Dyson Daniels and Exum.

The Boomers, and new coach Adam Caporn, have a lot to ponder over these next few years, and top of that list is finding a new primary shot-maker in the post-Mills era.

Giddey and Daniels may be the new stars of the team, but they're not going to beat an elite defender off the dribble and hit dagger jump shots like the 2020 flagbearer always could. At least, not consistently.

The answer is not a 35-year-old Kyrie Irving coming off a torn ACL, for a number of reasons, let alone his ability to gain Aussie eligibility.

It remains unclear who could fill Mills' void, with the Boomers needing to find both playmaking and outside shooting from somewhere.

Draft prospect Tyrese Proctor is potentially the most interesting name in the mix, as he is developing the skillset to provide the playmaking and scoring punch the Boomers are looking for.

The Duke guard has a decision to make about whether to nominate for the 2025 NBA Draft or whether to head back to college, and is currently projected as the 37th pick in The Athletic's mock draft.

Dash Daniels, the younger brother of Dyson, is a wildcard in the mix as he is projected as a potential top 10 pick in the 2026 draft, when he will be just 18. Given this Boomers roster is going to skew young in all likelihood anyway, his inclusion will probably depend on how he handles his first season in the NBA.

Caporn and his coaching staff will be watching the development of Johnny Furphy closely for the Indiana Pacers, as the 206cm shooting guard provides size and outside shooting, something this Boomers roster desperately needs.

The Boomers will at least be more comfortable in their choices to replace Bogut and Baynes, with Landale set to be in his early 30s, and a pair of fascinating 2025 draft prospects in Alex Condon and Rocco Zikarsky likely to have enough development under them to make the roster.

Condon looks like a potential late-first round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, with ESPN's April mock draft projecting him to go 29th, while Zikarsky, a 221cm monster, hasn't quite come on as some hoped in the NBL, and is projected 57th.

We are obligated to mention the possibility of Ben Simmons featuring, but given he has opted out at every turn, and given his slide from basketball relevance, it feels futile to discuss.

The squad Australia assembles for these tournaments could be the first time the Boomers have ever been entirely made up of NBA players. That's something Basketball Australia could only have dreamed about 20 years ago.

And they will need to be to keep up with the international basketball arm's race happening across the globe.

The Boomers were fortunate in Tokyo that COVID restrictions and some injury luck saw that tournament's bracket busted wide open.

But the Paris Olympics showed that the best teams in the world, not just the US, are now dominated by NBA players, and they're all built around superstars.

Serbia has Nikola Jokic, Slovenia has Luka Doncic, Greece has Giannis Antetokounmpo, Germany has Franz Wagner, Canada has Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, France has Victor Wembanyama ... can any Aussie ascend to that stratosphere?

There's a lot of water to go under the bridge between now and Qatar, but right now, it remains the biggest gulf between the Boomers and a medal. Particularly with a new group that will have to develop the chemistry Mills, Ingles, Delly, Bogut and Baynes had for a decade.

PROJECTED BOOMERS ROSTER FOR THE 2027 FIBA WORLD CUP: Josh Giddey, Dyson Daniels, Jock Landale, Dante Exum, Josh Green, Alex Condon, Rocco Zikarsky, Tyrese Proctor, Alex Toohey, Johnny Furphy, Dash Daniels, Will Magnay