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Yeah Mills showed in the NBL that he can put a team on his back and carry them. The Tigers have been a bit of a basket case this season, particularly early, and he genuinely kept them winning.
During the lockout he went and signed in Australia with the Melbourne tigers so I have seen him play 4-5 times in the past couple of months in person. He eventually left and went to china. Of course being Aussie I have also seen him play heaps both internationally and in college. He's insanely quick, maybe top 10 in the NBA quick. I heard some people calling him a third string PG but he is a legit backup pg in the NBA. If he was American he would have been drafted in the 25-35 range. Maybe higher.
He's a very smart player that can distribute very well. His shooting has become a lot more consistent in the past couple of years but he still has a little room for improvement. If he gets 12-15mins a game he will have a few 15 point games before the end of the season. What more could you hope for really. A really great signing and he will only get better, I can't wait to see him learning from a PG that plays a similar style instead of learning from Andre Miller like he did in Portland. Miller is the anti-Patty Mills, couldn't be more opposite.
PS I'm not just saying this cause I'm aussie, he has excelled everywhere he has played when give minutes. He had 39 in his 4th ever game at college with St Mary's and be led an Aussie team (without Bogut) to within 10 of team USA in the last world champs.
Yeah Mills showed in the NBL that he can put a team on his back and carry them. The Tigers have been a bit of a basket case this season, particularly early, and he genuinely kept them winning.
I got nothing against Mills as I actually wanted the Spurs to draft him instead of Jack Mclinton, but in this situation I would have much preferred a defensive player like Anthony Carter.
Mills has talent, he had his famous 20 point game against USA as a 19yo in the Olympics when he returned to St Marys for his sop re season he was talked about as a top 10 draft pick.
Problem was that he started the season off shooting poorly and then half way through he broke his hand and when he returned didnt look great but declared for the point guard heavy draft of 2009 which was dumb.
I didnt watch him play much in Portland but as an Aussie have watched him play internationally many times and there is nothing wrong with his handle (not sure what Hollinger is going on about there).
He is a shoot first point guard who is great in transition. slight build which does not bode well for defence but has range. A good signing because he has untapped potential IMO.
Spurs fans are gonna love this kid. I think Anderson may never see the floor again as a Spur and would not be surprised if they waive him. I just hope there is enough time to work him in the lineup. Pop sure has his hands full trying to put the right players on the floor.
It's a good potential signing, but not a good signing for this season IMO. I would have preferred Anthony Carter who can play some tough D.
If Anthony Carter isn't available or wasn't interested in signing here then it's a solid signing.
I've heard he's not a good passer but he throws one of the sickest assists ever in that highlight video.
This was the post I was waiting for. I trust MI21's scouting report most of all.FWIW, I've seen Patty play earlier this year/late last year in my local Australian league. Now the Aussie league is by no means stellar, but it does have pretty good guard play. Mills was hyped up beyond belief being a returneing Aussie NBA player. He struggled with the pressure and did not play well. He put up points at crap %'s and that's about it. But he is much better than that.
His last season in Portland was pretty good. He is a good spark off the bench, a real hit or miss type, but he has legitimate NBA speed and shot when on. My scouting report would go something like this --
PROS
- Lightning fast
- Has good range on his shot extending out past 3pt line
- Solid ball handler
- Knows how to play off of the ball
- Tries hard on defense
- Good transition player
- Has a lot of energy and brings some spirit onto the floor
CONS
- Court vision isn't where it should be
- Poor decision maker
- Struggles running an offense
- Below par defender due to size, defensive knowledge
- Struggles to finish in paint due to size, leaping ability
- Poor off hand skills
Basically, what you are getting here is a guy who can score a bit from the perimeter, get out on transition, handle the ball as long as he doesn't get fancy and provide a spark. You will also get bad defense, some turnovers due to bad decisions and not a lot of scoring in the paint.
If he improves his court vision and awareness he could become a valuable 2nd string PG because he can get in the paint and collapse a defense, it's just he doesn't know what to do with the ball once he does. Defensively he will always struggle.
Overall, I like the signing and he is very good insurance at 3rd PG.
Spurs
I'm glad you disagree with Hollinger saying Mills is a poor ballhandler. The Spurs can live with a lot of negative traits in a backup point guard but being a poor hallhandler would make it tough.
The way Pop coaches, I've always thought Eddie House type guards are the best fit behind Parker. Whenever Pop has had a playmaker behind Parker, he always ends up complaining that he doesn't shoot enough. And since three-point shooting is probably Parker's biggest weakness, his backup covering that weakness is important.
So yeah, Mills fits the mold of the type of backup point guard that should have success under Pop. He still has to improve a bit, as MI21 laid out, but it's an intriguing signing ... at the very least.
FWIW, Mills averaged 2.4 turnovers in his 9 NBL games. I don't think his ball handling is too much of an issue - it's not elite but it's pretty good. Certainly a good start.
I really like the signing, regardless of my Aussie bias.
Considering the day, I could have sworn this was a troll job based on the name.
Yep, I've noticed that from Pop all these years as well. He almost likes the backup PG to be Parker-lite and when Mills was coming out of college, that was sort of the vibe I got from him. But the increase in size and athleticism of his compe ion made him unable to finish inside but he managed to improve his jumpshot enough to be a viable offensive player. He will not die wondering and isn't afraid of missing a few shots in a row.
The ball-handling stuff, I'm not sure where Hollinger got that from. Patty isn't going to be crossing people over, going coast to coast weaving in and out of traffic like Tony, but he is fine to bring the ball up against pressure. All he really has to do is run in straight lines because he is fast. I would say he is a superior ballhandler to Cory Joseph but also more mistake prone due to irrational confidenceCory looks like he has zero confidence.
He can run himself into trouble in the half court because he tends to pick his dribble up a bit quickly when he is probing the half court D, but that is a different issues. You won't see any Beno against Lindsay Hunter moments from Patty.
As I posted earlier, I called this signing as soon as TJ showed signs of still being a walking injury. It wouldn't surprise me if this was on the cards for a long time. I was hoping the Spurs would draft Patty a few years back but instead they went with that undersized 2 guard who couldn't shoot (was it McClinton?).
It's nice to see the Spurs continue to experiment with youth rather trialling out old, stale veterans in a lockout shortened season.
Btw, for anyone who hasn't seen Patty play, my NBA player comparison would be a poor man's Aaron Brooks.
I think he uses his insticts well enough to be as efficient as someone like Vaughn was or other back up options the Spurs have used in the past. Yes he's a shoot first, but he's still young enough to make a nice transition. I've been a fan of his for a while. This is one of those signings that I like because he's worth that level a low contract.
The Spurs have continued to use the waiver system and crafy moves to add depth to the second unit. I won't lie, when Danny Green came in I didn't think much of the move, but he's been a good player for the team. Mills can easily be that type a guy.
It was smart to wait until after the trade deadline. Portland stuffed their roster from trades to the point that they had to cut several players to get down to the maximum roster size of 15. There was no room for them to play hardball and match our offer.
Thanks for the scouting report. Good stuff.
I can live with the bad if the good is as good as advertised. We need a pg who can attack the paint. Hopefully he can learn to finish better but the attack and kick out is what we're missing from our back up point guards when Parker goes to the bench.
Yep, I've noticed that from Pop all these years as well. He almost likes the backup PG to be Parker-lite and when Mills was coming out of college, that was sort of the vibe I got from him. But the increase in size and athleticism of his compe ion made him unable to finish inside but he managed to improve his jumpshot enough to be a viable offensive player. He will not die wondering and isn't afraid of missing a few shots in a row.
The ball-handling stuff, I'm not sure where Hollinger got that from. Patty isn't going to be crossing people over, going coast to coast weaving in and out of traffic like Tony, but he is fine to bring the ball up against pressure. All he really has to do is run in straight lines because he is fast. I would say he is a superior ballhandler to Cory Joseph but also more mistake prone due to irrational confidence
He can run himself into trouble in the half court because he tends to pick his dribble up a bit quickly when he is probing the half court D, but that is a different issues. You won't see any Beno against Lindsay Hunter moments from Patty.
It's nice to see the Spurs continue to experiment with youth rather trialling out old, stale veterans in a lockout shortened season.
After a little time to think about it, I feel better about some of his cons, as long as he's on the floor with Manu, so that there is another facilitator. I know Mills can score. But picturing him on the floor with our second unit, it's like the All Perimeter Team. I know Splitter will be out there, but if you can't feed him the ball? But with Manu's ability to take it to the paint, and to feed Splitter, I actually like the idea. Mills can definitely put up points.
I know you, and some others, kind of discount the turnover aspect. But for the number of minutes he plays, he turns the ball over quite a lot. That's a playoff road-game nightmare. Championships have turned on a few stretches where one team coughed it up too many times. I'm sure he'll see the difference in the Spurs' locker room. I hope that the need to limit turnovers is something they drill into him from the moment he arrives.
The turnover issue can also be credited to being the only scorer on most nights he plays and he is only 6 foot. You shoot more, you take more bad shots, and you turn the ball over more. SJax was getting the same in Mil.
Last edited by dbestpro; 03-18-2012 at 11:40 AM.
I'm not worried about the pro's or con's because he'll only see 7-10 minutes a game and even less come playoff time. He's not going to make or break the team in any way.Thanks for the scouting report. Good stuff.
I can live with the bad if the good is as good as advertised. We need a pg who can attack the paint. Hopefully he can learn to finish better but the attack and kick out is what we're missing from our back up point guards when Parker goes to the bench.
When I read that Portland had renounced his rights, I was thinking he would be a nice pickup. Then this morning I read we are signing him. This is great. If we can get Diaw and work him in slowly before the playoffs, we should have a nice squad.
That's fair. The more time any player spends with the ball in his hands, the more likely he is to get some turnovers. But (just my opinion) it's more than that with Mills. MI21 mentioned him being "more mistake prone due to irrational confidence". You can also look at his AST/TO, which is awfully low for a PG.
I don't want to keep arguing the point, because it will sound like I'm bashing the guy. I'm really not. Just trying to be honest about who he is and isn't, and discussing how he fits in.
The turnovers, by themselves, aren't big problem. Same for the low assist numbers. But the two things together is worth worrying about. When Mills' own shot isn't falling, you're looking at a stalled offense a lot of the time.
It's all just talk right now. We'll see when he gets in a uniform.
Agreed. And this is a guy that possibly isn't just a rental for the end of the year push and might have a role next season. If he doesn't mesh well then his contract will be expiring next season and he can easily be dumped. All around good signing.
I agree, this kid will be here for the long haul. I saw his highlight video on YouTube from when he was in Portland and he plays like Tony Parker. Cory Joseph just became trade bait along with James Anderson.
James Anderson's contract will run out before the next trade period.
an angle which hasn't been mentioned yet:
nicolas88batum Nicolas Batum
Congrats to my bala @Patty_Mills and wish him all the best with the Spurs.
and he's got a player option for next season you say? and Batum will be in free agency?
well it's certainly nice to see that he likes the Spurs and likes Patty Mills...
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