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This year's NBA season tips off this week, signaling the initial occasion in a ten years that Aussie two most prominent hoops stars – Ben Simmons and Patty Mills – are unsigned.

This change indicates a changing of the guard, as Australian guard pair Josh Giddey and Dyson Daniels emerge as key starters for contending teams, with new huge contracts establishing them as some of Australia’s top athletic income generators.

They aren't the only ones. Fourteen Australians are set to compete for playing time across the NBA, including experienced big men Jock Landale and Duop Reath, emerging wings in Johnny Furphy and Josh Green, to intriguing draftees like Tyrese Proctor and Rocco Zikarsky.

Josh Giddey Out to Prove Himself

Following lengthy negotiations with the Chicago Bulls, the guard finally signed his new deal worth US$100 million ($153m) over four years recently. It’s a huge contract for the Melburnian, but in league standards it is cheap for Giddey’s position and reputation as a lead playmaker. The reluctance for the Bulls management to pay top dollar means the young star enters this season with a point to make.

After being moved by the Thunder at the start of last campaign, he watched as his old team stormed to the title without him. As the Chicago look to make the playoffs in the weaker East, he will have to show his scoring and defence are elite-level or else he may slide towards the league's outskirts.

Dyson Daniels Eyes Another Step

The guard agreed to the same deal as Giddey recently, and after his most-improved player award last year, the Hawks player's career has skyrocketed in the city following his departure from the New Orleans. He is now praised as one of the league’s best defensive specialists, and led the league in steals with 3.0 spg – over one full takeaway per match greater than the total of second place.

Playing next to flamboyant Trae Young in Atlanta, the 22-year-old can be effective this campaign as a secondary ballhandler and elite defender as long as the Hawks make the playoffs. But if he can elevate his long-range game, which was below league average last year, and keep enhance his distribution and driving, he could become one of the association's most well-rounded talents.

Johnny Furphy On Highlight Watch

Pacers wing the rookie has burst onto the scene as a crowd favorite in Indiana following a succession of highlight-reel slam dunks in exhibition games. His acrobatics prompted NBA personality Pat Beverley to label him as the “top Caucasian leaper we’ve seen in a long time”, and an invite to the mid-season slam dunk competition could be a possibility.

Following playing just eight minutes per contest over 50 appearances in his rookie campaign, the former college player is in the running for a Pacers lineup that might favor youth following injury to lead guard Tyrese Haliburton.

Tyrese Proctor A Long-Range Threat

Playmaker Proctor dropped in the NBA Draft all the way to the second round, where Eastern Conference contenders the Cavaliers picked him. The Cavs are front-runners to make the NBA finals from the East, so it would be rare for a rookie drafted in the second round to see much playing minutes. But the Australian has seen time in exhibition play, and his pro-level shooting offers him a chance to make an impact.

Playing Time Squeeze Looms for Experienced Group

Veteran big man Jock Landale has a opportunity to secure the starting five position in the Grizzlies given highly-touted Zach Edey will miss the start of the season after a surgical procedure.

In the Trail Blazers, Duop Reath is the veteran backup to young centres Donovan Clingan and Yang Hansen, but could see consistent action if the team find themselves competitive. His fellow player Matisse Thybulle is expected to be used as a defensive spark off the bench.

In the Hornets, Josh Green's off-season shoulder procedure has resulted in him with no return date to return. The 24-year-old still has a deal for next season, but will not want to give his colleagues at the developing Hornets an excessive advantage. And injury has already hindered Dante Exum, who has a knee problem and has missed important exhibition chances in the Mavericks.

Australian NBA Players Fighting for Roles

Additionally, there are those who are not expected to see a lot of, if any, court time this year. Thirty-eight-year-old Joe Ingles is returned in Minnesota, but appears to be little more than a big brother keeping Anthony Edwards focused.

Rookie Rocco Zikarsky is likely to be nurtured by the Wolves through their G-League team. Fellow first-year players Lachlan Olbrich in the Bulls and Alex Toohey for the Golden State Warriors are also in the development pipeline, while the more seasoned Luke Travers will be aiming to earn minutes with Proctor for the Cavaliers.

Ben Simmons and Patty Mills Seeking Contracts

If there were any doubts Mills was planning to end his career, he answered them with a training clip shared on his accounts over the weekend, demonstrating the 37-year-old is still in form and focused on landing another NBA contract.

What Simmons is thinking is anyone’s guess after an break in Australia, going fishing and playing with a Sherrin. Even though he took to Instagram last month to deny suggestions he was done, the 29-year-old – an elite player as recently as 2021 – has yet to surface.