Mavs' Dante Exum, Josh Green Impact in Australia's Loss vs. Germany

OKINAWA, Japan — In a pivotal matchup of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, Germany managed to come out on top against Australia with 85-82 being the final score.

The Dallas Mavericks were represented on Australia well with Dante Exum and Josh Green playing helpful roles off the bench. Both players were relied on in the second half to provide a lift to the unit in key moments.

Exum has continued to be a standout performer, providing nine points, four rebounds, and three assists in just 16 minutes. He's averaged 9.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 3.5 assists through two performances.

At the World Cup, it's essential to have depth, and Exum's presence in the backcourt gives Australia with confidence to be able to rest Josh Giddey when needed. Between Exum's ability to get to the rim, create shots for teammates, and defensive versatility, he checks a lot of boxes.

"Just all around. I just think he can cover the point. We can rest [Josh] Giddey and we keep moving forward," Australia coach Brian Goorjian said. "He's putting pressure on the rim, he's hitting his shots, he's getting other people involved. He's good on the defensive end of the floor.

"I thought tonight, we've said at halftime we didn't use them enough," Goorijan explained. "We felt like we needed to get him more involved in the second half, which we did."

Exum's contributions have only elevated in the third quarter of his performances. He's taken on more responsibility with the basketball as Giddey gets an opportunity to rest on the sideline in addition to the contributions he can offer when playing alongside the star guard.

"He's been key for us and I thought he was very, very good tonight," Goorijan said of Exum. "In the third quarter, he was the one that got us that, and last night as well, the big minutes. And we went up four or five points, I think during that time span when he was in there. So, he's key."

Josh Green came off the bench again despite Australia's plan before the World Cup was to start him. Green's aggressive picking up the ball full-court and his quick rotations in team defense were relied upon by the team to close out the game. He hit a few catch-and-shoot jumpers overall on the other end, finishing with six points in 16 minutes of action.

"We haven't seen a lot of Josh Green yet," Goorjian said. "That was his first time, so he didn't surprise me, but he made a big impact tonight. And all those guys coming off the bench, I know their skill package and I keep saying to him, it's not the NBA, we're playing guys 15, 16 minutes.

Goorijan continued: "You can play with freedom and play harder and just keep moving forward. And I think again tonight, the bench, all those guys coming off were great and they did what's expected of them."

Australia's next match will come against Japan on Tuesday, Aug. 29 at Okinawa Arena.

Grant Afseth is a Dallas Mavericks reporter for DallasBasketball.com and an NBA reporter for NBA Analysis Network. He previously covered the Indiana Pacers and NBA for CNHI's Kokomo Tribune and various NBA teams for USA TODAY Sports Media Group. Follow him on Twitter (@grantafseth), Facebook (@grantgafseth), and YouTube (@grantafseth).

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