MIAMI — The feeling from the moment the Miami Heat added Patty Mills on Wednesday to the NBA buyout market it was that the 35-year-old goalkeeper could be plug and play.
So, coach Erik Spoelstra plugged Mills into his rotation Friday night and the confident point guard played the same way he often has in Heat games over the years.
“It was great to see him finally do it in a Heat uniform instead of against us,” Spoelstra said after Mills finished with 13 points in 15:39 in his Heat debut in 107-100 road loss Friday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder. “We have seen this for too many years. You can see why he was able to do what he does.
“It’s flammable. He is intelligent. He’s played in a lot of really good systems, so he knows how to adapt even if he hasn’t had any training. Fifteen years later, it’s still the same kind of thing. He can play his game. He helps our best players.
Mills was particularly effective in a unit alongside Jimmy Butler and Nikola Jovic.
“He was really able to help the unity we had with Jimmy and Niko,” Spoelstra said. “It’s something that will definitely add to our depth.”
Mills’ 13 points were the fifth-highest total by a player debuting with the Heat after the All-Star break in the franchise’s 36 seasons. This is the third highest total by a reserve in such a situation, behind the 14 points each of Derek Anderson in 2006 and Jamal Mashburn in 1997.
“It’s been great,” Mills said of his whirlwind arrival to the Heat. “In such a short time, we felt comfortable and it was actually a lot longer than we had been.”
Integration was the priority.
“I think it’s more of a mentality of doing whatever it takes and just taking your opportunities, your chances,” he said, as the Heat turned their attention to Sunday night’s visit from the Wizards of Washington at the Kaseya Center. “What is clear here is a goal and everyone can buy into it and do their part to be the last team standing at the end of the day. Whatever it is, you go out there and you try to do it.
Even in defeat, Butler said there was a net gain for Mills’ debut with the Heat.
“We all know what he can do,” Butler said. “We all know what he’s going to bring to this team. I think it’s a winner. He knows how to play basketball. He has a very, very, very high IQ and he just wants to help in any way he can.
“So I’m very happy that he was able to get out and get his feet wet.”
Mills said there was an immediate comfort zone with Butler.
“It was awesome,” he said of the duo. “It’s the first time I’ve been on the field with him, just good IQ, he understands the game really well, so there’s definitely potential there. But I think I had moments and played with a lot of players that prepared me for those moments. So I’m just trying to slip into that.
Heat rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr., who was just 13 when Mills helped the San Antonio Spurs defeat the Heat in the 2014 NBA Finals, was duly impressed by the veteran’s immediate impact.
“It just shows his professionalism,” Jaquez said. “He’s been in this league for so long. He’s been so good for so long. (Friday) is just another example of that, he’s just coming off the bench when his number is called. Not really practicing with everyone and just being ready to produce. This shows how professional and deadly he is as a player.
