Bogut begins to shake off the rust

SAO PAULO (Rio 2016 Olympic Games) - Australia are still a ways off from reaching their peak but the Boomers at least have veteran center Andrew Bogut back in the line-up.

The two-time Olympian, who injured his knee while playing for Golden State in their NBA Finals defeat to Cleveland, made his first appearance of the summer for Andrej Lemanis's squad on Sunday against China and played nine minutes and 25 seconds of his team's 82-53 victory.

As Bogut's fitness improves, so will the Boomers' chances of getting a first-ever medal at an Olympic Games. They will play in Group A, which appears to be a blessing because even with a fourth-place finish, they would not have to take on the two-time defending champions USA in the Quarter-Finals.

The Americans, who beat the Boomers in the last eight at the Beijing and London Games, are also in Group A.

Australia were in need of a boost just days before the start of the Olympics after crashing to a heavy defeat to Brazil and a 13-point setback to Lithuania.

Assistant coach Luc Longley, who played at three Olympics for the Boomers, said: "We haven't played great yet. We have had a disrupted preparation, but we are ready to go now."

Longley, a former NBA championship-winning center of the Chicago Bulls, said he it was encouraging to see Bogut back on the court.

"Your first game back from an injury is always difficult but we're happy with how he moved with and without the ball," he said.

FIBA