‘He’s got all the tools’: Longley says Giddey can lead Bulls deep into playoffs with Aussie basketball booming
Luc Longley is confident Josh Giddey can be part of the next era of success at the Chicago Bulls with the Boomers guard ready to silence his critics after landing a $100 million contract.
Giddey is the biggest name among 14 Australian players plying their trade in the NBA.
It can be hard to keep track of how many are suiting up these days, a far cry from when Longley was the sole Aussie blazing a trail in the early 1990s.
“Three decades ago, there was only one. He’s very proud of Australian basketball, that’s for sure, without meaning to be paternal – I’m excited for us all,” Longley told The Roar from Sydney Harbour on Friday as part of the launch of Prime’s NBA coverage this season.
“I couldn’t have even imagined it back then. I was stunned that I even got there and didn’t even think about 20 years in the future, but it is amazing in hindsight.”
Supersonics forward Shawn Kemp tries to get between Chicago Bulls duo Michael Jordan and Luc Longley in the 1996 NBA Finals. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Daniel/ALLSPORT
Longley goes back to the US periodically and even though it’s nearly three decades ago since he was the starting centre on the Bulls’ second threepeat on the back of Michael Jordan’s brilliance, he is still lavished with praise whenever he’s in the Windy City.
“Ten kilos and a beard and long shaggy hair is the best disguise I’ve come up with. But people still do recognise me and that’s still the heyday of Chicago basketball, that era,” he said.
“If I go back to America, I always go to Chicago and always get a lot of love. I loved the America that I grew up in.”
Australian basketball royalty Luc Longley and Lauren Jackson at the Prime launch event on Sydney Harbour.
The Bulls have a long way to go to get back to being true title contenders but with Giddey running the point, Coby White alongside him in the backcourt and a blue-chip prospect in Matas Buzelis, the building blocks are in place.
Giddey piled up 19 points, 11 assists and five rebounds in Chicago’s season-opening 115-111 win over Detroit in just 29 minutes.
“I’m excited for Josh. It’s a great contract, and in the context of NBA land, it seems fair. He’s earned it. He’s worked hard. He’s played great,” Longley said.
“I don’t have many photos set aside, even of myself playing basketball, but I am keeping a photo of that half-court shot he made against the Lakers last year.
Dyson Daniels. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
“He plays like most Australians. He plays the right way. He plays for the team, shares the ball, he’s not greedy, plays both ends of the floor. I like the way he goes about it.
“He doesn’t yell and scream, pound his chest too much, but he plays hard. He’s a good advocate for Australian basketball. He’s still only 23.
“He seems to have an appetite for hard work because he’s improved every year.
“I think Josh has got all the tools. The organisation thinks so too and now it’s about how they put it together, who they bring in, and what the pieces look like.
“You’ve got to have a bit of luck. You’ve got to stay injury-free. I’d love to see Chicago get back into the mix. It’d be really sweet when they do that with Josh.”
He is not the only Aussie on the Bulls’ roster and Longley said he was “a big fan of Lachie Olbrich”, the former Illawarra Hawks forward who has “got some intangibles that hopefully Chicago learn to love”.
Giddey and Atlanta guard Dyson Daniels are set to be the cornerstones for the next era of the Boomers, replacing Patty Mills and Joe Ingles as the team’s standard bearers.
Daniels was named the NBA’s Most Improved Player last season and went close to winning Defensive Player of the Year, an honour that Longley thinks is achievable despite the ascension of San Antonio’s swatting machine Victor Wembanyama.
“Again, a guy that’s a great advertisement for Aussie basketball. He plays about the right stuff. He’s defence first. He shares the ball. He cares. He plays hard. You’d love to see a guy like that have success,” Longley said.
“It’s going to be a fresh-looking Boomers squad next time around, but in good hands. I really like the coaching appointment of Adam Caporn. I like the way they played, even at first glance at the Asia Cup – up and in, pushing the ball, shooting threes.
Johnny Furphy. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
“I like the way Capes had them defending, and that was with a three-day lead in camp. I always think a team is only as good or as bad as the coach.
“Some people say it’s about the roster, and clearly that’s a thing, but I think the coach is his first pick in any roster, and I think Caporn’s a really talented young coach.”
Longley said the high number of Aussie players in the NBA was a reflection of the investment that has been made on home soil into getting all aspects of the production line right.
“The pathway is a vibrant junior competition, a vibrant NBA, NBL and WNBL – something for kids to look at and aspire to and draw them through the sport,” he said.
“With the NBL being a really great product, it’s aspirational for kids. The coaching pool is getting stronger, our refereeing pool is getting stronger. It’s a well-trodden path now that kids can see, parents can see, and the game itself is growing at the grassroots level all across the world.
“Basketball is coming and we’re reflective of that.
“To the eye test, Australians seem to always punch a little bit out of their weight class in terms of per capita elite sportspeople.
(Photo by Kelly Defina/Getty Images)
“It’s not weight of numbers, but we produce some quality.
“Rising tides float all boats. Basketball is getting more popular around the world and in Australia, and the NBL’s do a great job of capturing that and creating an aspirational platform for young kids to get on the court and play and people for them to emulate.
“Out of that, you get talent.
Longley is often asked by young prospects and parents about the best way to maximise their talent and his answer is simple.
“My advice to young players is go where you can play. I think if there is a trap, it’s trying to look for those hothouse environments where you might have to be on the bench for a couple of years,” he said.
“If you’re going to college, go somewhere you can play because nothing’s better than playing basketball. A, it’s fun, and B, that’s how your game grows. That’s one of the reasons the college system has been so good for Australians.
“You can go over there and get games against guys you’ve never seen before. Guys and girls can have a bit of an adventure, learn different basketball, learn from different coaches, and broaden your package.”
Longley spoke to The Roar as an ambassador for Prime Video, which is exclusively broadcasting key 67 NBA and 30 WNBA fixtures in Australia as part of an 11-year global deal.
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Aussies in the NBA
Dyson Daniels – Atlanta Hawks
Dante Exum – Dallas Mavericks
Johnny Furphy – Indiana Pacers
Josh Green – Charlotte Hornets
Josh Giddey – Chicago Bulls
Joe Ingles – Minnesota Timberwolves
Jock Landale – Memphis Grizzlies
Lachlan Olbrich – Chicago Bulls
Tyrese Proctor – Cleveland Cavaliers
Duop Reath – Portland Trail Blazers
Matisse Thybulle – Portland Trail Blazers
Luke Travers – Cleveland Cavaliers
Alex Toohey – Golden State Warriors
Rocco Zikarsky – Minnesota Timberwolves
