Goorjian: Ingles' impact more than minutes

After five Olympics and helping bring the Boomers a piece of history with their Bronze (Rose Gold) Medal in Tokyo, Joe Ingles' time in the national program may have come to an end.

If that is to be the case, it’s no doubt a tough way for one of the Boomers greats to end his national career.

After playing less than three minutes for the entire tournament, many fans questioned why Ingles was there to begin with.

But according to head coach Brian Goorjian, Ingles’ presence was more than just about minutes on the court.

"He was tremendous, and I needed him after the World Cup on the bench," Goorjian said.

The reality of a tournament like this is that it’s incredibly unlikely a team will be using all 12 players equally.

Former Boomer, Andrew Bogut, has been there many times before and explained how hard it can be to find that balance in tournament play.

"I don’t think you can play 12 guys,” Bogut said on The Gold Standard. "If you do play Joe, then you’re probably benching someone like (Jack) McVeigh.

"Joey hadn’t played much at all. I just don’t see where you would have fit him in."

While that veteran presence is so important, it does raise the question ... did the Boomers' selection committee make the right choice? Or would an elite defender like Matisse Thybulle make the on-court product stronger?

While Thybulle could have potentially added something valuable to the team with his defensive versatility, the question remains - if he is in the playing rotation, who misses out?

"The worst teams I’ve seen in this is when you have three guys sitting on the bench, say three NBA players… people say, ‘Why don’t you have this guy? He’s a better player," Goorjian continued.

"Yeah ... he’s going to play seven minutes. How’s that?"

The benefit of hindsight is a wonderful thing. Would Goorjian and his selectors have made a different choice, if they had their time again? 

With the tournament now over and Ingles almost certainly playing at the Olympics for the final time, former Boomer Brad Newley reflected on his incredible contribution. 

“Joe definitely signalled this could be his last (tournament),” Newley said.

“All the eyes we have now on our national program, a lot of that is because of those guys (Mills and Ingles) ... what they have done for the game and the status they’ve helped raise Australian basketball too has been impressive.”

Mills has been alongside Ingles every step of the way, and reflected on their journey.

"We've just enjoyed every moment," he added.

"It hasn't been a smooth-sailing ship, but you do it together and you never take those moments for granted.

"But through the thick and thin and ups and downs, happy tears, sad tears, it's been an incredible journey to be able to share with those (Ingles and Matthew Dellavedova) guys."