3 things veteran guard Patty Mills have immediately added to Miami Heat.
Tuesday saw the Miami Heat make an acquisition of veteran point guard Patty Mills, who was just cut by the Atlanta Hawks.
The 35-year-old will likely replace Dru Smith on the team. Naturally, Smith had season-ending surgery months prior, and he didn’t play for the Heat again until late November.
With his extensive experience in the league, Mills offers Miami several beneficial contributions. These are a few of those items.
1. Shooting, shooting, and what do you know? A little more shooting.
Upon contemplating Mills, one’s shooting typically springs to mind first. He boasts one of the most textbook shooting forms available and is a career 38.9 percent shooter from outside the arc. I think this one is the most beautiful I’ve ever seen, but I also can’t get over how amazing Jordan Hawkins’ jump shot is.
The Heat’s bench only shoots 34.2 percent from beyond the arc this season, despite the team’s 37.4 percent shooting from deep, which ranks 11th in the NBA. In the entire league, that ranking is 22nd. Keeping in mind that there are 30 clubs in the NBA, that ranking is… not good.
Mills will probably start for Miami off the bench, and he will surely contribute to raising that total. One can never have too much shooting for a team, especially in the postseason.
It is crucial to have a deadly shooter off the bench. Assume that Mills performs like Mike Miller did in Game 5 of the 2012 NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. In case you forgot, Miller scored seven goals after coming off the bench! 3-pointers.
Oh crap, I’ve managed to convince myself that Mills will do similarly in a postseason game this year. For him and Miami, hopefully, it will happen in the final Finals game.
2. Experience leading and winning.
Throughout his career, Mills has participated in 95 postseason games and has made two trips to the Finals (both against the Heat).
Many will remember the Australian blowing up the Heat in the 2014 Finals, scoring 10.2 points in just 15.2 minutes per game on 54.3 percent field goal and 56.5 percent three-point shooting. I’m aware that Heat supporters still dream about that.
A player like Terry Rozier, who has never advanced to the championship series in his career, would benefit greatly from Mills’ advice even if the Heat make it to the Finals this season and he plays little.
Formerly selected in the second round, Mills has experienced both being a star (due to his participation on the Australian national team) and being a role player, with just 107 starts in 879 regular season games.
He even received the NBA Sportsmanship Award in 2022, and he has never come across as a selfish player. The athlete who “best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court” is given the prize.
I wish the YMCA in my community presented the prize. If that were the case, there might be less disputes over who fouled whom and whether someone actually carried the ball or traveled. All one can do is hope.
3. Amazing sense of style
Well, so perhaps this won’t make much of an impact on the court, but really, look at his Instagram and tell me you’re not pleased.
He might as well wait to check into a game in his street clothes because his sense of style is so impeccable. He has a lot to teach those who watch Heat games, I’m sure.
More importantly, Mills enjoys a great deal of respect inside the league. Mills’s former teammate Kevin Durant recently gave him accolades. In addition, he provides his social media fans with basketball skill-boosting advice.
Although there are many positive aspects of signing Mills, it is not a guarantee that the Heat will win a championship this year. At this moment, the 6-foot-2 point guard is undoubtedly among the best players Miami could have signed.
Even though Mills may not play much in the last stretch of the 2023–24 campaign, his presence will undoubtedly improve the Heat as a team. When he will be ready to make his Heat debut is yet unknown.
The Miami Heat will play the Detroit Pistons at home on Tuesday night.
