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AUSTRALIA will need to negotiate the Japanese home crowd in Okinawa in its FIBA World Cup Group E where the Boomers also have drawn Germany and Finland for the right to advance. Germany, at #11, is their highest-ranked opponent, Finland at #24 and Japan #36. Brian Goorjian's Boomers are ranked #3.

The Bronze Medal success at the Tokyo Olympic Games two years back is expected to act as a springbpoard for further medal podium visits by the Australian men's team.

This is no so-called "Group of Death". Far from it. Maybe the "Group of Deaf" because any whining about this cluster of opponents should fall on deaf ears.

With the top two teams in each group after intragroup play advancing to the Round of 16, the road ahead for the Australian team is paved with gold.

The Groupings are:

The Boomers will head into camp in Cairns from August 1-10, compete in the warm-up Four Nations Tournament in Melbourne from August 11-18 against Brazil, New Zealand and South Sudan - that should be a really popular series - then head to Tokyo for final preparations.

The World Cup will run from August 25-September 10. And what a team the Boomers potentailly could suit.

Can see Josh Giddey, Patty Mills, Joe Ingles, Nick Kay and Jock Landale starting. Maybe a bench of Josh Green, Dante Exum, Dyson Daniels, Matisse Thybulle, Xavier Cooks, Jack White, Duop Reath. But many will believe the size of Aron Baynes or experience of Matthew Dellavedova are still important components and it's a solid argument.

But maybe that's where players such as Reath and Daniels need to be to continue taking Australia forward. Delly's Tokyo Games were not great and Baynes, injured early, was really not a factor.