"As good as it's ever been": Giddey's big Boomers call

Chicago Bulls guard and Boomers star Josh Giddey says Australian basketball talent is "as good as it's ever been," and expects the national team to make a big impact at next year's FIBA World Cup.

The confidence comes off the back of a player-led mini-camp in Melbourne this week, attended by the likes of Giddey, Jock Landale, Dyson Daniels and Ben Simmons, alongside NBL stars Matthew Dellavedova, Jack McVeigh and Xavier Cooks.

"It was a fun week. We got about 20 guys in from all over the world and it was unbelievable to have everyone in the same building for the first time in probably two years," Giddey told 10 News.

"We wanted to get all the guys back together in Melbourne just before we start to ramp up for the World Cup next year."

Giddey said Australia was in a great position to improve on its tenth-place finish at the 2023 FIBA World Cup and sixth-place finish at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

The potential addition of former NBA Rookie of the Year and three-time All-Star Ben Simmons adds another big storyline leading into next year's tournament in Qatar.

"I think the talent is as good as it's ever been in Australia and I think especially with a guy like that (Simmons) coming back into the program and we've got guys with a bit more experience from the Olympics in Paris a couple of years back now ... I think we're going to be as good as we've ever been.

"We're getting to a point now where NBA guys are starting to miss out on the team, which is a great problem to have. I'm super-excited for where the country and where the program is going."

The former NBL Rookie of the Year said it was great to see Simmons back on court in Melbourne, after close to 18 months away from the game at any level.

"He looks really good as a player. I haven't seen him play in probably a year, so to see him come back and look like he hadn't missed a beat was really impressive," Giddey continued.

"I hope he's a big part of what we're doing moving forward with the green and gold."