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A backup point guard is supposed to come in and give the starter a rest without skipping a beat, and the overall quality of play should be pretty similar to when the starter is out there. The San Antonio Spurs had the greatest sixth man of all time in Manu Ginobili, but he was so much more than a role player. During their last title run and the end of their dynasty days, the Spurs' second unit was orchestrated by Patty Mills, an unlikely hero in San Antonio.
Born in Canberra, Australia, he played college ball at St. Mary's before playing two forgettable seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers. He then went on to play 10 seasons with the Spurs, almost exclusively as a backup, where he won an NBA title in 2014.
© Brendan Maloney-Imagn Images Mills averaged 9.4 points, 2.4 assists, and 0.
7 steals during his time with the Spurs, and he shot 38.9 percent from behind the arc. In the 2014 NBA Finals, he shot a blistering 56.
5 percent from deep and was a key cog in "The Beautiful Game" Spurs' offense. He is second all-time in franchise history, with 1,171 made three-pointers. ClutchPoints recently posted to social media asking fans who their all-time favorite backup point guard is, and Mills made the graphic, accompanied by TJ McConnell, Goran Dragic, JJ Barea, and Shawn Livingston.
Who’s your favorite backup PG in NBA history? 🤔⬇️ pic.twitter.com/rP4jspBHlh Dragic, the only All-Star of the group, actually started in the majority of his games.
Barea, Livingston, and Mills were the only three to win an NBA title. Related: Brandon Boston Jr. Can See Career Resurgence With San Antonio Spurs Being a backup in the NBA is a thankless job, but Mills endeared himself to fans for his clutch moments, fearless play, red-hot shooting, and charity work.
He founded the Indigenous Basketball Australia group and is the greatest Olympian in Australian basketball history..
