Why would the Utah Jazz sign Patty Mills?
This is a question I have been asked and many others have asked on social media since the news broke. The 36-year-old has agreed to a one-year contract with Jazz.
The answer? There are three main reasons:
An adult in the room
At the NBA combine, Jazz head coach Will Hardy told me that no matter what happened with the upcoming draft and the Jazz’s picks (at the time about a month away), the Jazz would need an adult in the room when it came to the roster.
“Children don’t teach children,” Hardy said.
That’s not to say there’s no respect for the veterans who are still on the team, or that there’s a concern for maturity within the roster. It’s more about maintaining a balance.
Hardy stressed the importance of the first few months of the 2022-23 season with Mike Conley on the Jazz roster and how he helped so many young players that season. Then there was Kris Dunn last season who was doing the same thing, but with a different temperament and approach.
Leadership on a roster is necessary in many ways. Lauri Markkanen (27) is learning to be the physical leader In a team, Jordan Clarkson (32) learns how to transition to a management position After many years as a role player, John Collins (26) is learning to navigate the business of the NBA and how to help young players while maintaining your physical edge.
These leadership positions are still a learning curve for those who occupy them. It is important to have a player on the NBA roster who is not learning a new role, a player who has seen everything there is to see in the NBA and is able to pass on his wisdom, knowledge and care to the younger players coming up.
It helps if that player is, and has been, talented enough over the course of his career to earn respect, and it certainly doesn’t hurt if he’s been on championship teams.
It is important to note that in the case of the Jazz, the player must be comfortable with not playing all the time and must understand that the team is not so much looking to win games as it is to develop young players.
Enter Patrick Sammie Mills, whose leadership on and off the court over his 15-year NBA career has been exemplary. Despite playing just 32 games last season and 40 games the season before (earning a number of DNPs), he has nonetheless had a significant impact on the teams he has played on, particularly with the younger players.
Development of guards
One of the biggest priorities for Jazz management and Hardy this upcoming season will be identifying which guards on the roster could be part of the team’s extended future.
Not only can Mills provide invaluable on-court advice and guidance and serve as an example to the Jazz’s many developing guards, but he can also be someone Hardy and management can rely on for insight into the development and potential of younger guards.
A veteran leader on a team doesn’t necessarily have to be a point guard, but on a team with so many young players at every position, having someone on the roster who understands the needs and responsibilities of a floor general will not only help the guards develop, but will also help other players.
Familiarity
There’s no doubt that Hardy’s knowledge of Mills, having worked alongside him in San Antonio for years, played a role in the decision to add him to the roster. That knowledge will help immensely on both of the above points.
Mills won’t have to test the waters with Hardy, build a relationship and find common ground. They already have that. They’re starting from a place of comfort and history, which will make the transition a lot easier and give Mills a sense that he has some freedom to spend the majority of his time building relationships with the players on the roster.
This familiarity between Hardy and Mills also means that communication will be easy, so if there are situations where Mills isn’t going to play or if Hardy needs Mills to fill in for injury or just to be a support system in the locker room for the players, the coach won’t have to beat around the bush.
