Patty Mills is back!
Despite scarcely playing for the Atlanta Hawks this season, the Australian guard has shown he's still got plenty more left in the tank, matching a season-high in points in his first game for his new team the Miami Heat.
Mills came off the bench for the team in a tough matchup against the current top seed in the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and was immediately impactful, draining back-to-back threes in just four minutes.
He may have only averaged 10 minutes of playing time under Quin Snyder in Atlanta, but Miami coach Erik Spoelstra put the veteran sharp-shooter straight to work, playing him 16 minutes as the Heat fell by seven points.
Patty Mills Miami Heat debut stats
It was an electric opening to Mills' Miami career, as he hit three threes en route to 13 points - matching his top score as a Hawk in just one game for the Heat.
🎯 @Patty_Mills makes a splash in his Miami debut!
— NBA Australia (@NBA_AU) March 9, 2024
📊 13 PTS | 5-7 FG | 3-4 3PT
Watch every bounce, every play, and every moment ⛹️♂️ with NBA League Pass 👉 https://t.co/Yjf8R0DJsq pic.twitter.com/AySKgfxYF2
He also grabbed two rebounds and finished with a team-high plus/minus of +13.
The 35-year-old was waived by his former team just over a week ago, after he landed there in the pre-season following three separate trades - from Brooklyn, to Oklahoma City, and then Atlanta.
But the Hawks struggled to find playing time and a defined role for Mills, who played in just 19 games for the team, averaging 2.7 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 0.7 assists per outing.
Now with Miami, he will look to bolster the offensive output of a team looking to make their second-straight NBA finals appearance, but they will need to get past some Eastern Conference juggernauts to make that dream a reality.
Patty Mills contract
At the time of being waived, Mills was in the final year of a two-year deal worth US$13.28 million, which he signed with the Brooklyn Nets in 2022, which the Hawks will need to pay the remainder of.
While the financial figures of Mills' new deal with the Heat have yet to be revealed, it is likely to be a minimum deal, according to the Miami Herald.
