Patty Mills replaces Dante Exum for Boomers ahead of battle with Tall Blacks

Reinforcements have arrived for the Australian Boomers ahead of their pivotal tournament against the New Zealand Tall Blacks.

San Antonio Spurs point guard Patty Mills will replace injured Utah Jazz guard Dante Exum in the upcoming Oceania Championship on Aug. 15 and 18. The winner of the tournament will secure a spot in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

"I'm looking forward to joining my Boomers teammates for this very important qualification series against New Zealand," Mills said in a press release. "Playing for my country has always been an honor for me."

Mills brings scoring and playmaking to a Boomers backcourt in sore need of a spark. Australia has dropped three of its four international friendlies against Slovenia and Lithuania.

Recovering from shoulder surgery, Mills posted a down year with San Antonio last season. He averaged 6.9 points and 1.7 assists in 15.7 minutes while shooting 34.1 percent from deep. The year prior, Mills averaged 10.2 points while shooting 42.5 percent from beyond.

Mills' shoulder injury kept him from playing with the Boomers in the 2014 FIBA World Cup.

Boomers head coach Andrej Lemanis explained his decision to make Mills a last-second addition.

"Patty is the best-placed player to come into the team quickly," Lemanis continued. "He's an elite player, an NBA champion and seasoned at International play and importantly, knows the Boomers' system and style of play.

"If we were going to add a player to replace Dante, we needed someone who can help us beat New Zealand and that is Patty Mills."