The 2025-26 NBA season is only a few days old, and so there isn’t too much to go off when it comes to the 14 Australians playing in the league this season.
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But even with only a few games under their belt, there is already plenty to unpack — especially when it comes to the roles that some of Australia’s rookies and second-year players could have in the NBA this season.
If you want a more in-depth preview of what to expect this season from more established names like Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels among others you can read our first edition of Australians in the NBA.
But in the meantime, here is everything to know so far, from the rookie with a surprising early role for a title contender to why a hyped second-year player isn’t seeing the minutes many expected.
TYRESE PROCTOR (Cleveland Cavaliers)
OK, so Proctor was the most likely of all four Australian rookies to see playing time in his first year. But did anyone expect him to already be seeing pretty significant minutes right off the bat?
Sure, Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said in the preseason that Proctor looked like “he belongs” in the NBA, but at least externally there was the expectation that it would take a while for the Sydney native to get on the court.
Firstly, Proctor needed to grow into his body to be able to handle the increased physicality of playing in the NBA, while there was also the reality that minutes would be hard to come by for a Cavaliers team that has ambitions of winning a championship.
With that in mind, it is incredibly impressive that Proctor — a second-round pick — is already seeing playing time.
Proctor hardly looked rushed in his first taste of NBA action. He was solid on defence and looked poised against a Knicks team that plays tough basketball every night and on basketball’s biggest stage at Madison Square Garden.
“I loved what Tyrese Proctor had brought from the preseason,” Cavaliers legend Brad Daughtery said during the broadcast of Cleveland’s season opener against the Knicks.
“He looked very, very poised for a rookie. He’s very, very capable.”
There was plenty of praise for Proctor. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
There was plenty of praise for Proctor. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)Source: AP
Proctor struggled with his shooting in his second game against the Nets but it was promising to see he didn’t hesitate to keep shooting when he got the opportunity when it would have been easy for other rookies to lose their confidence.
The Cavaliers coaching staff also showed plenty of trust in Proctor by not just sticking him in a corner, which wouldn’t have been playing to his strengths as a passer anyway, but instead having the rookie handling the ball and initiating the offence.
It led to points too, with Proctor whipping a beautiful swing pass to Larry Nance Jr. in the corner off the pick-and-roll for a 3-pointer in the second quarter of the loss to the Knicks.
Proctor is certainly benefiting from both Darius Garland (toe) and Max Strus (foot) being unavailable and it remains to be seen whether he will stick in the rotation when those guards are healthy.
At this point, Proctor looks to be battling Jaylon Tyson and Craig Porter Jr. for minutes and while he had shaky moments in his second game against the Nets, it is an overwhelming positive to see him this involved already.
Cleveland’s play-by-play broadcaster John Michael said Tyrese “had a feeling he might get a shot at some point” to crack Atkinson’s rotation.
“I’m not sure anybody, even Tyrese, thought he’d play as much as he did on opening night,” Michael added.
Proctor is earning his minutes. Jason Miller/Getty Images/AFP
Proctor is earning his minutes. Jason Miller/Getty Images/AFPSource: AFP
But it sounds like it was well-deserved, with Atkinson telling reporters that he was “all-in” on the Australian ahead of the game against the Nets.
“I love his moxie,” Atkinson said.
“He’s got high IQ, obviously he’s highly skilled.
“I’ve been surprised about his defence. He’s not just a skill guy. He’s got some real grit defensively, he got in the game, got right into it off the bat.
“We’ll see more of him tonight.”
LUKE TRAVERS (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Unlike Proctor, Travers didn’t see any playing time in Cleveland’s first two games of the season and it is hard to see that changing without injuries.
Travers is on the second year of a two-way contract with the Cavaliers and is likely to spend the majority of the year with the team’s G-League affiliate, as was the case last year.
JOSH GIDDEY (Chicago Bulls)
With no Coby White (calf) to start the season, there has been even more on Giddey’s plate and the Australian has answered the call to help the Bulls to a 2-0 start.
As was the case last year, Giddey has been stuffing the stats sheet with a 19-point, 11-assist performance against the Pistons and 21-point, eight-rebound outing against the Magic.
That is two Eastern Conference contenders, or at least more highly-fancied teams, that the Bulls have taken down to open the season.
It hasn’t been all Giddey though, with Nikola Vucevic Chicago’s best on the court against Detroit while Matas Buzelis looks set to take a big leap in his second season.
Even Patrick Williams has started to put it together, but going back to Giddey he has developed a handy spin move to be better at finishing at the rim and continues to look at his best when he is aggressive going downhill.
Turnovers were an issue in the season opener but Giddey limited them in the win over Orlando.
Giddey has looked good early in the season. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Giddey has looked good early in the season. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)Source: AP
DYSON DANIELS (Atlanta Hawks)
It has been a mixed bag to start the season for the Hawks and the NBA’s reigning Most Improved Player.
Atlanta dropped the season opener against the Raptors, with Daniels struggling to get into his usual rhythm on defence after picking up early fouls.
It saw his playing time limited as a result, with Daniels only seeing 23 minutes as he recorded four points, three rebounds and two assists.
Atlanta’s new $100 million man was at his disruptive best in the win over the Magic and while he only had two steals and one block on the night, the box score didn’t speak to just how big an impact Daniels had on that end of the floor.
Daniels and the Hawks struggled to back up that effort against the defending champions, going down 117-100 to Oklahoma City, although that result was always somewhat expected given it was on a back-to-back and the Hawks were without Jalen Johnson and Kristaps Porzingis.
For Daniels, the defence is always going to be there but all the work he put in the summer to develop his offensive game isn’t showing up yet with the Australian only attempted two 3-pointers so far and looking a tad hesitant at times when driving towards the rim.
Even when he is able to get to the rim, the finishing remains a work in progress, which is fine given how young he is but the 22-year-old will have higher expectations either way after signing that contract last week.
It has been a mixed bag for Dyson and the Hawks. Todd Kirkland/Getty Images/AFP
It has been a mixed bag for Dyson and the Hawks. Todd Kirkland/Getty Images/AFPSource: AFP
JOHNNY FURPHY (Indiana Pacers)
Social media was up in arms when Furphy, after a full offseason of being hyped up by both the Pacers coaching staff and playing group, saw no playing time until Indiana’s season opener went to overtime.
Furphy was brought into the game late when Ben Sheppard fouled out, essentially forcing Pacers coach Rick Carlisle’s hand.
While there was plenty of confusion, there was a simple explanation for why Furphy, who had produced highlight-reel dunks over the summer, spent almost all of the game on the bench.
The Australian had been battling an ankle injury and while he suited up for the season opener, he clearly was only active as a break-glass-in-case-of-emergency option.
That emergency situation came when Sheppard fouled out in double overtime along with Aaron Nesmith and Bennedict Mathurin, but Furphy was later ruled out of Indiana’s game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday with left foot soreness.
With Andrew Nembhard (left shoulder strain) going down in the Oklahoma City game, there will only be more minutes available for Furphy when he is healthy to return.
Furphy could have a breakout season. Andy Lyons/Getty Images/AFP
Furphy could have a breakout season. Andy Lyons/Getty Images/AFPSource: AFP
DANTE EXUM (Dallas Mavericks)
There is an opportunity for Exum to contribute immediately for Dallas this season with Kyrie Irving recovering from a torn ACL.
But Exum himself is battling a knee injury that has sidelined him for at least the first two games of the season and there hasn’t been much clarity surrounding his condition either.
Exum was initially listed as out due to undisclosed reasons before it was eventually revealed to be a knee issue.
When asked about Exum’s absence ahead of the season, Mavericks coach Jason Kidd simply said “he’s just out”.
“That’s all I can tell you,” he added.
For the time being, first overall pick Cooper Flagg will see more playing time running the point along with offseason addition D’Angelo Russell.
ALEX TOOHEY (Golden State Warriors)
Toohey is yet to suit up for Golden State and is unlikely to see much playing time in his rookie year after being drafted by the Warriors in the second round.
Either way, Toohey has been listed as out due to a knee injury since the season tipped off with no timeline on his potential return.
LACHLAN OLBRICH (Chicago Bulls)
Like Toohey, Olbrich is not expected to see much playing time in his first year.
The former Illawarra Hawks championship winner, who was taken 55th overall in the draft, is yet to suit up for the Bulls and will likely spend most of the season playing for their G-League affiliate.
JOE INGLES (Minnesota Timberwolves)
The 38-year-old isn’t likely to see much playing time this year outside of in blowouts, which was the case against the Lakers when Ingles checked in late to replace Anthony Edwards.
Speaking of Edwards, the trash-talking Australian hilariously interrupted one of the superstar guard’s media opportunities in the preseason to boast about locking him up on one possession at practice, with the vision going viral.
While Ingles provides plenty of laughs in the Minnesota locker room, he will also be a valuable veteran presence for rookie Rocco Zikarsky to lean on.
ROCCO ZIKARSKY (Minnesota Timberwolves)
Speaking of Zikarsky, he is just starting his career and viewed as more of a long-term project after becoming the earliest of the Australians to be selected in this year’s draft.
Zikarsky told reporters in the preseason he had been enjoying engaging in plenty of “banter” with Ingles.
JOCK LANDALE (Memphis Grizzlies)
Injuries to Jaren Jackson Jr. and Zach Edey have given Landale a big opportunity early in his Grizzlies career, with the Australian starting all three games so far at centre.
He is a solid fill-in option for the time being but not much more, with Memphis desperately needing either Jackson Jr. or Edey back to give their frontcourt some juice.
For the time being though the job is his and the key for Landale will be developing his combination with Ja Morant.
There will be growing pains as was proved when Morant cut to the baseline at one point in the Pacers game wanting the pass, only for Landale to opt against it much to the superstar guard’s frustration.
But there have also been flashes of what could be, including a no-look lob for Landale after the Australian set the screen to allow Morant a clean lane towards the paint.
Landale’s work as a screener makes him an effective pick-and-roll partner for Morant and while the Australian may not be the flashiest player, it will keep him on the court and in the coaching staff’s good books.
JOSH GREEN (Charlotte Hornets)
Green is in a similar position to Exum, currently sidelined with a shoulder injury and with no clear timeline on when he could return to the court.
MATISSE THYBULLE (Portland Trail Blazers)
Put some respect on Matisse Thybulle’s name.
Finally healthy after battling injuries all of last season, Thybulle has been at his dynamic and disruptive best on defence for a Trail Blazers team that isn’t short of playmakers on that end of the floor.
Thybulle racked up three steals in a 139-119 blowout win over Golden State, while he also scored 10 points and had two rebounds on his way to a plus-minus of +22.
It backed up another handy two-steal performance in the season-opening loss to Minnesota, with Thybulle once again set to be a reliable rotation piece for a Portland team that could surprise even in the competitive Western Conference.
Thybulle is underrated. (AP Photo/Molly J. Smith)
Thybulle is underrated. (AP Photo/Molly J. Smith)Source: AP
The win over Golden State capped off a dramatic 48 hours for the Trail Blazers, who were without head coach Chauncey Billups after he was among those arrested in an FBI probe into sports gambling.
According to The Oregonian, Thybulle described the mood as “incredibly tense” and “awkward” leading up to Saturday’s game.
But more than anything, it was a game the team needed to escape and put all the drama behind them.
“We all go through (stuff) personally that no one ever hears about,” Thybulle said.
“And basketball’s always been, for a lot of players, that place to just go and forget about it and play and get lost in it. It’s just the thing that we love. It’s the escape for us. So more than anything, (this was) just the same thing, but just a different cause.”
DUOP REATH (Portland Trail Blazers)
Reath saw three minutes in garbage time as Portland eased past Golden State but otherwise seems to be down the bottom of the pecking order in the big man rotation.
It is hardly a surprise either, with the Blazers having drafted Donovan Clingan and Yang Hansen in back-to-back years. Robert Williams is also on the comeback path and closing in on a return from injury, which could further limit any potential playing time for Reath in the future.