Now that the NBA Draft Lottery has taken place, it is officially time to start looking at how the Hawks are going to shape their team for the future. With the 19th pick in the draft, Rick Sund has the chance to start righting the wasted draft picks of the Billy Knight era.
I believe that there will be a player that can immediately step into the rotation next year available when the Hawks draft and I will be talking about those players over the next few days.Of course, Sund must first figure out what he wants to do with the current team before he can start to think about who he will draft, but regardless of what players are retained, Atlanta is going to need help at point guard and center.
Patrick Mills, or "Patty" as some college basketball fans may know him, is a 20 year old Australian, who played for the last two years at Saint Mary's College. The kid has the one thing that the Hawks are sorely lacking: speed. We have witnessed all season long how important it is to have a guy who can get to the rim playing point, and the Hawks, as we had to watch in the playoffs, have nobody who can get to the rim without a screen. Mills dazzled onlookers against Team USA in the Olympics, even getting Chris Paul to say, "Man, he's fast. I read something that says he's faster than me. They're probably right. He can move."
Mills season at St. Mary's was interrupted in January of this season by a broken hand. St. Mary's wound up having to go to the NIT. There, Mills matched up with Stephen Curry and Davidson. Mills scored 23, with 10 assists and only one turnover while Curry scored 26, but had six turnovers. As Coach K. mentioned in the article about the Olympics, Mills can be a lock-down defender. After watching Bibby get torched repeatedly in the playoffs, some defense from the point would be a welcome sight.
Mills is most often compared to a young Tony Parker, a guy with unlimited quickness, but no jumper. We have seen Parker become virtually unstoppable by honing his shot, but no one can foretell if Mills will be that dedicated. Regardless, the Hawks have to get some players who can create shots and get to the rim, and Mills fits that bill. Ideally, Mike Bibby will be re-signed for $6-8 million per year and the Hawks can start grooming someone to replace him. Mills could definitely be that guy.
Comments
Good article, except for one thing - Patty has a jump shot - it's actually probably the most honed feature of his game outside pushing the tempo and working in the open court. His form is textbook and he can pull up off the dribble anytime, but the most amazing thing is watching him run off screen catch-and-shoot, because he's so quick and elevates high. He is definitely an inconsistent shooter though - he will need to put the work in no doubt - but he is a far better shooter than tony at this point. He needs to work on going one-on-one off the dribble and finishing at the rim as much as anything, and his playmaking off the PnR. But a sleeper pick for sure.
Patty is the real deal - is unbelievable to me that scouts saw him torch Team USA yet he will be drafted well below guys who have underperformed in Europe this year or never been tested against NBA talent
Mills had a better supporting cast in the davidson game. i also remember him going 1-10 from 3. A short guard cant produce with that kind of shot.
Other than his speed and owning of the Redeem Team in Bejing, the hawks should consider the fact that they will get a whole new country as a revenue stream if the get Mills - He is by far the most loved player in Australia and it is pretty much an un(der)tapped NBA market.
Just a thought.
As an Australian I feel obliged to like him, but I would like him to be able to finish stronger. Once he is fouled he always misses the shot, even if it's the lightest contact. That being said all his negatives can be trained and honed into positives.
Ben is right about the shot. Eric, you must have missed the Gonzaga game when Patty got injured. He scored 18 in 16mins and his shot was on that night, and from NBA type range.
The Davidson game was just a few weeks after surgery on his shooting hand, and it was still swollen. He still got the job done with just one hand.
Yeh im suprised the mock drafts have got him very late in rd 1. I think the assets he has in his game ie. speed. is second to his rediness to compete at any level, he is not scared to take it to anyone, has a great winning attitude and is a humble but very confident young man. I would rather gage a player by the opposition he faces. Not just the dream team (twice) but the power houses of europe with a 24 second shot clock and international rules, not a 35 second shot clock with college rules against college teams. Dont forget st marys were nothing until he arrived and played on a team of guys who may not even be good enough to be starter's in the NBL. My Tip is minnesota will probably get him but if he does get to pick 29 i have heard the lakers with kobe's blessing they will pick patty up to back up fisher for a year and then become a starter as they dont see farmer a starter. Lakers definately want him and might even do a trade for him.
Steve, where did you hear that from the Lakers? I would love to see Patty play with the Lakers and I know he would love to stay in California. In regards to his shot...I think the problem is more with his shot selection. As stated by others here, his form and release are great. I think that his shooting took a hit due to a lack of scorers on his St Mary's team. Patty is a selfless, humble guy and will absolutely shine when given a role to utilise his quickness to penetrate and dish...maybe to Kobe. As an Aussie, I just want to see him go somewhere that really wants him and where there will be playing time available. As for the Australian market, Ben you are quite right. While Andrew Bogut has that admirable (to Australians) "No bull$#!+" kind of attitude, he is not the most amiable kind of guy. While most people here have no idea who he is yet, Aussies will love Patty as he is all things that we as a nation respect in a person- Humble, friendly, down-to-earth, and respectful.
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