The Brooklyn Nets signing Patty Mills was one of the best moves from this past offseason. The 2014 champion and longtime San Antonio Spurs guard has been a vital player for the Nets, both on and off the court, all season long amid quite a bit of turmoil.
Mills has provided much-needed consistency for a group that has had little, appearing in 58 out of the team's 59 games. He somehow avoided the team's December COVID-19 outbreak when 10 of his teammates wound up in heath and safety protocols and has mostly avoided (knock on wood) the injury bug as well.
At 33 years old, the veteran guard is logging a career-high 31 minutes per game and now he's not totally “off” during the All-Star break either. Mills is currently one of the favorites to win this year's NBA 3-Point Contest at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio.
Mills is shooting nearly 42 percent from beyond the arc on an impressive 7.7 attempts per game this season. He's fourth in the league in made triples with 186, trailing just Stephen Curry (251), Fred VanVleet (201) and Buddy Hield (196).
The 13-year vet has surprisingly never competed in one of these events before. In fact, it doesn't sound like it's something he has ever even practiced for.
“I think it’s going to be totally different,” said Mills. “So I’m going to have to feel it out and see how it goes. From what I’ve been hearing, it is a different beast I guess from what you’re used to in a game, but, yeah, looking forward to it. I’m just going to have some fun and try to enjoy the process.”
Maybe the Nets can get him some racks and different types of basketballs so he can get used to the format. Two of his current teammates have already won the contest in the past. Joe Harris just won it in 2019, and Kyrie Irving won back in 2013 while with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
But how exactly does one prep for something that's not like a real game?
“I have no idea,” Mills admitted. “Like never been in this situation before, so I think I'm just gonna kinda learn on the fly and wing it. I'm sure I'll get get an opportunity to test it out before, but I'm just looking forward to a new sort of basketball environment, I guess being kind of the only one out there and everything is on, I guess yourself and how you perform. But all in all, this is just a fun weekend that I'm excited to experience.”
Harris still has no timetable for return from his ankle injury. He has had some setbacks, and Nets head coach Steve Nash admitted that everything from another surgical procedure (which would likely end his 2022 campaign) to a post-All-Star break return is on the table here. The team hopes Harris can get back to on-court work following the layoff and test it out. If that test goes well, presumably, he might play again this year, but the team hasn't sounded especially optimistic on that front.
Still, Harris was one of the first people to talk to Mills about the upcoming event.
“Yeah, he was the first one that I spoke to about it,” Mills said. “[Harris] gave me some pointers, gave me some tips. Obviously as a champion himself and so did Ky, so I've got some good backing when I'll carry their advice with me to hopefully be another champion on a team with both of them.”
Uncle Drew was just 20 years old when he hoisted the trophy back in 2013. Back then, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr was still broadcasting for TNT. Kerr always had a nose for talent, didn't he?
Per Bleacher Report's Dan Talintyre, writing nearly 10 years ago:
“Talent-wise, he's right at the top,” [Steve] Kerr said. “I don't see anybody with a better skill set, including Chris Paul. Nobody has his shooting range, his shooting proficiency, his athleticism, his speed.”
So, Mills will take Irving and Harris in spirit with him to the prestigious contest and try to become the third member of the Nets' current roster to win the trophy. The Brooklyn Brigade can hope Patty stays smoldering through the weekend. It's not the worst thing in the world for Mills that newest teammate Seth Curry's brother, Steph, the event's reigning champ, isn't participating. Otherwise Mills would have been a sizable underdog.
Someone get Mills some racks and Mountain Dew balls to rehearse with. Then he can channel his inner Harris and Irving to win this thing.
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