OKINAWA, Japan -- Josh Giddey is optimistic at the trajectory of how the Australian Boomers are looking on the court right now.
Australia's first campaign with the 20-year-old as its starting point guard has had its ups and downs over the course of the 2023 FIBA World Cup, but the team's hopes of winning the tournament are still alive and kicking, and there have been clear signs of progress.
We've seen a bit of everything from Giddey in Okinawa. A near triple-double against Finland, some stagnant moments in a loss to Germany, and making use of his overwhelming size against a tiny Japan side. When Giddey is going downhill on this stage, he's almost unstoppable -- and has shown a knack for making big plays down the stretch -- but the on-court chemistry with his veteran teammates is still a work in progress.
"It comes with experience and playing games with the guys," Giddey told ESPN after the Boomers' win over Japan on Tuesday.
"A lot of us haven't played together before. It was evident in the warmup games; things were a split-second off.
"The more time we spend together playing on the court, these things will clean up. It's slowly getting better and better; we're starting to all flow in the offence a little better and knowing where looks are coming from. It comes with time, but it's getting better and better.
"We want it to be perfect toward the back-end of the tournament."
The 6'8" point guard was thrown into the deep end from the moment he stepped foot in Cairns for the Boomers' pre World Cup camp. Brian Goorjian made it abundantly clear from the beginning: the ball will be in Giddey's hands.
The Boomers' coaching staff watched endless hours of film from Giddey's first two seasons in the NBA with the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the final Australian team for this World Cup was built with the idea of maximising what he brings to the table.
"Josh Giddey's growth throughout his career has just been astounding," Boomers assistant, Adam Caporn, said on Tuesday.
"Being around him, you see why. Every game, he's studying the opposition, he's improving things, he's got great feedback and input for us on what he needs and what he feels like the team needs. It's really great having that level of floor leader out there. Super fun. The ball will be in his hands a lot, and he's gonna do a lot of great things."
Being thrust into the Boomers' lead guard role may have contributed to some of the early teething -- namely, a warmup game loss to Brazil, along with some of the slow starts the team has experienced -- but, combine that with Australia participating in one of the toughest groups of the tournament, it could very well pay off in the long run.
"This was obviously a very tough pool that we were put into," Giddey said.
"It's good that we can get these type of games early in the tournament, and it sets you up going forward when we have to cross over against a country like Slovenia next. It puts us in good stead, playing Germany, Japan, Finland; three good countries.
"I think we can take a lot of good from these games, but there's also a lot of stuff we can work on, which is a positive sign as well."
Giddey is coming off his signature performance of this World Cup: a 26-point, 11-assist effort in a win against Japan, asserting himself throughout the game to lead from the front for the Boomers. It was the type of urgency Australia needed from him, after their heartbreaking loss to Germany just a few days earlier.
"It was what we needed," Giddey said.
"Very fun environment to play in, with the crowd. Japan, the home country, in front of their home fans. We were a little bit sloppy toward the end of that game; needed to close it out better. But, a win's a win and you take it at this point in the tournament."
The Boomers will now take that growth into the second round of the Group Phase, where their likely next opponent is Luka Dončić's Slovenia side. Australia and Slovenia will have both progressed to Group K, and all signs are pointing to a rematch of the Tokyo Olympics bronze medal game taking place on Friday evening in Okinawa.
Slovenia looking to seek vengeance for their loss to the Boomers two years ago will, of course, be top of mind, but the other interesting element of the matchup is how each team's big point guard leads the way. Of course, Slovenia is a team that unapologetically lives and dies by the play of Dončić, a perennial MVP candidate with the Dallas Mavericks and one of the best players on earth.
Dončić is a much more prolific scorer than Giddey, but the Australian's ability to create advantages and distribute isn't dissimilar to the Mavericks star. Giddey has had his exceptional moments during this World Cup, and the game may well come down to which point guard is able to be the most effective as his team's floor general.
"It's a lot of fun," Giddey said of the matchup against Dončić.
"Obviously a lot of people are here to see him. He carries a heavy load for Slovenia, so a lot of our game plan is gonna revolve around him, just like it did with Lauri [Markkanen] and Yuta [Watanabe] tonight.
"We've had the opportunity to play against these teams where they have a superstar or an NBA player, so Luka is obviously on a different level, but we've got Josh Green, Matisse [Thybulle] -- those types of guys -- for that job.
"We'll be ready for it. Just one game at a time, and keep moving forward."