How Boomers success will foreshadow Josh Giddey's future success in Chicago

As the Olympics kick off, the Australian Boomers made a firing first appearance in the tournament after their first game victory over Spain.

The Boomers' 12-point win was an electrifying watch as they took their revenge after being robbed at the Rio 2016 bronze medal match.

Former Olympian and Boomer Shane Heal shed some light on the highs of Saturday's game, with exciting highlights led by Australian NBA players Josh Giddey and Patty Mills.

“It was a good debut for the Boomers. Sometimes a bit rusty early, you sort of not always playing your best, but I thought the guys hung strong, they played tough, they played together. Josh Giddey was outstanding, Jock Landale was awesome as well. I think we’re in a pretty good place”, Heal told SEN Afternoons.

“It’s been hard for (Giddey) on and off the court the last 12 months. He was thrown in a position of the shooting guard, which is not his position, he’s a point guard. He needs to be able to have the ball in his hand.

“This trade to Chicago will be exceptional for him next year like he was for the Boomers. When he’s got the ball in his hand, he makes great plays. If he can get into the paint, he can score. He’s one of the greatest passers we’ve ever seen. With the height that he’s got, he just sees over the line of the defence and finds the open man.

“He’ll want to tighten that up, he had 5 turnovers, but he had 8 assists. Generally, you wanna be two and a half to three times the turnover rate. He was a little bit sloppy in that, but I think that’s from not playing a lot as well.

“I think as the tournament goes on he’ll continue to make good decisions and cut down on some of those turnovers. Patty Mills had 5 as well. 10 of our 16 came from the backcourt, but both played well on the offensive end overall.

“The fact that (Patty) had been traded and hadn’t played a lot in the NBA the last couple of years. He’s 36 years of age, so for him to be able to turn it on the way he has and to be able to perform at this level is exceptional.

“I hope he continues it, because we are going to need to him to be able to hit from the three point line which is a little bit of a weakness for this team overall. Patty made some big shots, but they all stepped up to be able to make some big shots.”

Giddey was traded to the Bulls at the end of the season, where he will hope to recapture the momentum of his early seasons.

Riding the high of their first win, the Boomers are set to face Canada in their second game of the Paris Olympics on Tuesday at 9:30pm (AEST).