Can Mills, Giddey play together?

Josh Giddey and Patty Mills are arguably the two most talented Australian Boomers heading into the Olympics, but how coach Brian Goorjian gets the two guards to efficiently work together could hold the key to the nation’s medal hopes.

Mills has long been the face and lead guard of the Australian program, but now aged 35, it is expected Giddey will take the reins as the starting point guard and run the show.

This has some experts suggesting Mills could be better placed off the bench as an offensive spark plug throughout the Boomers’ campaign.

Three-time Olympian Andrew Bogut is of the belief the two guards can’t start together, and their minutes need to be staggered to avoid their skill sets clashing.

“I think if you’re starting Giddey, I don’t think you start Patty,” Bogut said on NBL Media’s The Gold Standard.

“I think Giddey’s journey, his career’s going up, but he’s not there yet defensively. He probably needs some work on that end, and he knows that. Patty’s not a great defender.

“So I don’t think you can start both of those two. I think we saw that at the World Cup, I just don’t think you can start those two and play them mass minutes together.”

>> Hear all the fallout from the Boomers’ squad selection, with analysis from former national team champions Andrew Bogut and Brad Newley. Listen to Gold Standard below.

With the 12-man Australian Olympic team reportedly now set, Goorjian’s next challenge is determining the rotation and individual roles before the Games begin on July 27.