Mills ready to prove himself this year
Patty Mills showed on an international stage this summer that he’s ready to make a big contribution in the NBA. Mill’s performance for Australia at 
the London Olympics was incredible and showed a lot of people that he’s better than they may have thought.
For now, he’s stuck on the San Antonio Spurs’ depth chart behind Tony Parker and barring some sort of injury, that’s not going to change anytime soon. Mills will have to do what he can as a backup for the time being, but he’s hoping to show how well he can fill that role.
''It's a big year for trying to prove myself,'' Mills said. ''I still feel like I've got a lot of things to prove, my future goal is wanting to be a starting point guard somewhere. I'm really happy where I am now, I know what I need to do but I feel there are a lot of things I need to prove to everyone.''
I would imagine that the Spurs will keep Parker around for a long time, so if Mills wants to be a starting point guard, it may have to be somewhere else. Putting in a full preseason with the team, along with his experience last year should get him enough minutes to show what he can do. The Spurs might even consider giving him a few extra minutes for the opportunity to raise his trade value.
I like Mills a lot, and I think he has a lot of potential. It’s just a little unfortunate for him that he landed on a team with an All-Star point guard already. He may get to move out of Tony Parker’s shadow eventually, but for now he just has to focus on making every minute count.
I think Mills has a bright future ahead of him, even if it’s not with the Spurs, but it’s all going to start this year. This season is make or break for him. Will he be stuck as a backup point guard for the rest of his career or is it time to make a name for himself?
Let's not get excited folks! its just a guy talking confidently about himself. He is not saying anything more than he wants to prove himself and be a starter. Only TD has ever been truly hands off as far as trades go. Parker and Ginobli have been targets of trade talks at different times. Anything is possible from year to year. Mills is excited about being a Spur and helping us win a championship this season. He is an electric scorer. Just don't know if he indeed is a real point guard.
3 Like
@Boo-J Whatever he is, he's a special player in that point slot who I believe has what it takes to make a strong impact for the Spurs if given some minutes in the second unit. And I agree with senor Kyle here that increased minutes coupled with production from Mills could help the Spurs in the long term or improve Mills trade value in the short term giving the Spurs more flexibility if a trade evinces itself or has to be made before the deadline. Either way, that Olympic performance was no fluke, and he showed a lot of guts and leadership. I feel like Mills might surprise a lot of Spurs fans this season.
