Patty Mills will continue to see increased playing time with Kyrie Irving out for the foreseeable future, and the veteran guard showed the impact he can have for the Nets on Monday night.
In 23 minutes of action off the bench, Mills shot 8-for-14 from the field and 5-for-9 from downtown to finish with 21 points, just shy of Kevin Durant’s team-leading 25, to help lead Brooklyn to a 104-90 victory over the Wizards at home.
“He just brings a great feel to the game with or without the ball, defensively,” head coach Steve Nash said. “He makes, I think, our team communicate better. He organizes us on both sides of the ball. He brings a lot to the table and he's a great addition to our team.”
Mills’ breakout game was a much-needed rebound after his lackluster showing in Sunday’s loss to the Hornets, when he shot just 2-for-10 from the floor. With Irving out unless he decided to receive a COVID-19 vaccination, Mills could be a critical piece of the Nets’ title chances this year if he can help capture what he brought to the Spurs’ title-winning team in 2014.
Monday showed that he still has that ability.
“Just trying to make an impact on the game somehow, whether it’s on the defensive or offensive end,” Mills said. “That’s always something I’ve hung my hat on, especially offensively.
If it’s not my night, then go make a play defensively, dive on a loose ball, create a charge, make an impact that way.
“An all-around type of mentality is the thing I’ve tried to always have. I’m not too happy with myself when I start to float around and just be out there.”
The Nets signed Mills back in August as another veteran bench presence, and in his 13th NBA season, he will be asked to take on more responsibility with Irving out and James Harden still working his way back to form. It wasn’t what was initially expected, but it’s something Mills chooses to embrace.
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“This is all new territory from me in a sense of being here and working it all out, but that’s probably the most exciting bit about this whole thing, is being able to talk about it and learn about it and chat about it with teammates to be able to get to where we want to be,” Mills said. “I spoke about patience, it’s probably the thing we need to have throughout this process and fine-tune the details along the way.”
Mills’ teammates have embraced his impact on the floor, especially on Monday night, when he helped the Nets get back on track.
“Just having that energy around every day is amazing,” Kevin Durant said. “He's beating his chest into the stands, into the crowd, making timely plays underneath the basket still. Just playing with energy, and we're going to need that from him.”
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