Mills: The good & the bad

Andrew Bogut believes the Boomers need more from Patty Mills because he is either “really good or really bad”. 

Mills struggled in last night’s loss to Canada, scoring eight points on just 2/10 shooting, while also committing four turnovers, prompting Bogut to demand more balance in his game ahead of Friday night’s crunch game against Greece.

“Patty is hot or not, like I said, leading into this tournament. I actually got some flak from some people, I think he's either really good or really bad,” Bogut said on NBL Media’s The Gold Standard.

“We probably need more of a balance from him at times, especially when his shots not falling. I thought the defensive end, he was not very good. 

“The shot with Patty is going to come and go. He's going to have nights where he's eight for 10, he's gonna have nights where he's two for 10, but he can't take those gambles that he was taking last night defensively on big possessions.

“One late where he gambled on Jamal Murray at the elbow to try to get a steal with six minutes left and they swing it to RJ Barrett in the corner. Huge, huge, huge possession. Gets them from a six-point game to a nine-point game late. 

“He did a few of those throughout the game. He just needs to stay a bit more solid defensively.”

Australia and Greece meet at 9:30pm AEST on Friday night, in a result that will decide whether the Boomers will advance to the knockout stages.

The Gold Standard, featuring Australian basketball legends Bogut and Brad Newley, will headline NBL Media’s Olympic coverage. The duo will analyse the Boomers’ on-court performance, while also breaking down all the latest news from the squad during the tournament. 

Bogut is a three-time Olympian, having represented the Boomers in 2004, 2008 and 2016. Newley has also been on the biggest stage, playing for Australia at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics.

The Gold Standard is available on all of the NBL’s digital channels.