The Summer of Roman Siulepa: Recapping What Happened With the Australian Prospect

Roman Siulepa has risen to the top of Australian basketball prospect rankings, but his immediate future is unclear and casts shadows over the long term as well. What’s made Siulepa stand out and what reasonable concerns hang over his head?

Feb 29, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons (not in uniform) sits on the bench in the first quarter against the Atlanta Hawks at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports / Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Roman Siulepa was named MVP of the 2024 U20 National Championships, where he averaged 24 points, eight rebounds, and four assists as one of the younger players in the competition. He led Australia to a gold medal at the 2024 Albert Schweitzer Tournament averaging 18 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and two steals, and also grabbed a gold medal at the 2022 FIBA U16 Asian Championships. His resume for someone who just turned 18 in July is astounding and has led to some touting him as the Aussies best prospect since Ben Simmons. 

Siulepa seemed fast-tracked for youth basketball stardom and parlayed that into an NBL Next Stars deal with the reigning champion Tasmania JackJumpers this summer that was abruptly terminated mutually only a couple of months later. Why? Siulepa wants to finish his youth rugby career. 

Siulepa looks like a Rugby player, a Rugby star actually, and he is.

He’s a highly-touted prospect for Australia in both sports. The JackJumpers wanted Siulepa to make basketball his priority, and he chose otherwise. In financial terms, the choice is obvious. Siulepa’s status as a prospect makes it probable that he ends up at the very least a first-round draft pick whenever he decides to enter the NBA Draft, and maybe even a lottery pick. In either case, his NBA rookie deal would comfortably surpass the career earnings of Rugby stardom.

But it’s not that simple. 

Siulepa is an impressive prospect. He’s 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, an absolutely overpowering physical presence in youth competitions and even against grown men last season at only 17 years old. He is bigger than Josh Hart, which serves as a reference point because his game is very similar. He fears no battle or collision, is terrifying in transition, and is developing into an unstoppable force on the glass. He makes rim-rattling dunks look effortless

But Siulepa’s game is far from polished, and you could even argue he still looks more like a Rugby player playing basketball than the inverse. His free throw shooting is awful and his 3-point shooting is improving but still questionable at best. His shot is flat, he has a hitch in his wrist, and his feet are sometimes too close together adding to a slow and janky release. Similar to Australian wing prospects before him - Dante Exum, Josh Green, and Dyson Daniels to name a few - not only is his 3-point shot questionable but so is his entire offensive halfcourt game. He has no isolation or breakdown skillset and instead resorts to what looks like a Rugby play style: putting his head down and bullying his way to the rim. His left hand is non-existent, and he has minimal passing feel. 

Siulepa’s summer saga has not concluded and is murkier than ever after signing with the JackJumpers and then parting ways. It’s not entirely strange for an 18-year-old to still be playing two sports, especially in Australia. But given the question marks about Siulepa’s game, it’s understandable why the JackJumpers wanted a full commitment and wanted to move on when he was unwilling to give that to them. Rugby increases the chances of injury and decreases the likelihood of improvement in key areas. The reigning champions don’t have time for those risks. 

NBL clubs with open Next Star roster slots remain interested in Siulepa, and he could still pursue NIL opportunities, a contract in Europe with a club like Mega Basket or Ratiopharm Ulm, or even sign with Overtime Elite. Siulepa impressed enough this summer and over the past year to make sure he’ll draw scouts, executives, and more no matter where he plays, so long as it’s on a basketball court. But this fallout with the JackJumpers has brought on some short-term concerns that he’ll need to anguish. Lack of desire to improve was Simmons' downfall in the NBA, and whether it’s fair or not, there’s a line to be drawn between Simmons' history and Siulepa’s lack of commitment to basketball right now. Over the next season or two, we’ll learn how much merit the comparison truly has. 

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