Ben Simmons joins Australian Boomers training

NBA superstar Ben Simmons has joined Australian Boomers training this morning to support his teammates, despite making himself unavailable for the World Cup.

Simmons and the 18-man World Cup squad are in Melbourne at a selection camp.

While Simmons’ commitments won’t allow him to play in the World Cup, Boomers assistant coach Luc Longley said his presence on the floor had a massive impact on the rest of the team during training .

“Ben looked good today,” Longley said.

“He said a while ago he was going to come in and help us prepare and be around the group. He did that today and it was fantastic.

“He brought the level of practice up a few notches. It certainly helps us looking forward to the Olympics, seeing how he plays amongst the group. That’s the end goal.”

Longley said Simmons’ speed forced everyone to play at a higher intensity.

NBA championship winner Patty Mills said the players appreciated his support and understood why he wasn’t playing at the World Cup.

But he said everyone enjoyed training with him.

“For him to go at us in practice is the best preparation for us,” Mills said.

“I don’t think we could find anyone better in Australia than him.”

Longley said Perth Wildcats star Nick Kay improves his chances of gaining selection by dominating training. Longley said Kay had shown he belonged among the elite talent.

Coach Andrej Lemanis will announce the final 12-man team next week and they will play together at RAC Arena on August 16 and 17 against Canada.