Over the course of his 14 seasons in the NBA, Patty Mills has established himself as a valuable teammate both on and off of the basketball court. Though he spent the last two seasons with the Brooklyn Nets, the 35-year-old Aussie is perhaps best known for the 10 seasons he spent in San Antonio prior to his stint with the Nets, where he served as a reliable cog off of the bench and a behind the scenes conduit of the much-renowned Spurs’ culture.
Spurs’ head coach, Gregg Popovich, had some glowing comments when speaking about Mills’ time in San Antonio:
“As a basketball player, he has gone off the charts with development. But as a human being and as a member of our society and a leader on our team. He has been fantastic.”
“He embodies empathy, awareness, [and] an ability to be actionable after he speaks about things.”
Dejounte Murray, who played alongside Mills’ during his time in San Antonio, was all smiles when talking about being reunited with his former teammate at Hawks’ media day last week, saying:
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“I made sure his locker was next to mine… that’s one of my vets, a great friend of mine. I look at him as family. Even bringing him to the team, when I was talking to Landry and Quin and all those guys… he’s a hard worker, he’s a great guy, it’s almost like he’s perfect. Nobody’s perfect, but he’s a high energy guy, high character, like I said he works hard. He’s only going to affect everybody around the organization in a great way.”
Mills career “per-game” averages of 9 points (on 56.4% True Shooting), 2.3 assists, 1.7 rebounds, and 1 turnover in just over 20 minutes a night won’t sweep you off your feet, however that’s just fine by him, as one of his greatest assets is the ability to identify what is needed from him by the team, then fill that role to a tee – irrespective of how it looks on the box score. In a 2021 interview on the JJ Redick podcast, Mills spoke about the value of putting the team ahead of personal aspirations.
“I think that [San Antonio] was where I learnt a lot to come in and figure out what’s my one piece that I can do that’s going to make the team great, and it’s something that’s different than what Tim Duncan does, it’s different than what Tony Parker does and Manu Ginobli… and finding that out myself and being able to implement it, you feel the impact and you feel those guys feed off it. So I think it’s just understanding how to win, what you need to do to win, how to bring the group together.”
“I think you’ve got to throw your ego out the door when you’re understanding the purpose and winning and championships and all that; and when you get a locker room that is all on the same page like that, it’s fun basketball.”
Mills won the 2014 NBA title with the San Antonio Spurs – pouring in 31 points across games four and five to send LeBron James and Co. packing. He knows what it takes to get to the proverbial mountain top. Through his own words, as well as those of his coaches and peers, it’s apparent that the knowledge and leadership qualities that Mills has accumulated over the course of his career (which includes 955 playoff and regular season appearances and counting!) will be extremely valuable for this Hawks roster that was somewhat lacking in the “veteran leadership” department last season*.
*Atlanta had just three players with more than five years of NBA experience on their roster in 2022-23 in Justin Holiday, Frank Kaminsky and Clint Capela. Holiday and Kaminsky were traded at the trade deadline for Garrison Matthews and Bruno Fernando – who are both entering their fourth NBA season.
Taking a look at how Mills’ fits on the basketball court for this 2023-24 Atlanta squad, Hawks’ General Manager, Landry Fields, was quick to peg Mills as more of a 2 than a 1 at media day, saying that he views him as “more of a shooting guard” when asked about his potential role. Mills is no stranger to playing as an off-ball guard, having played over 50% of his minutes at the 2 during his time in Brooklyn, and there’s no denying that his selfless play-style and three-point shooting ability (38.9% for his career, on 4.5 3pa’s per game) would help provide space in the half-court for Young and Murray to wreak havoc.
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Numbers from basketballreference.com
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That being said, Mills is not a positive-level defender at this stage in his career, and when you consider the fact that the Hawks have a surplus of guards on their roster – some of whom are more defensive-minded options than Mills in Wesley Matthews, Trent Forrest, and perhaps, rookie second-round pick, Seth Lundy – he could be facing a bit of an uphill climb for minutes at the 2 next season, as perimeter defense will likely be the priority if and when Quin Snyder reaches past his top nine next season.
Given his experience playing point guard in San Antonio however, Mills is likely to be a leading candidate to fill in at the 1 should one of Trae Young or Dejounte Murray miss time next season. Even though Fields kept his cards close to his chest when speaking about third point guard options at media day, mentioning Trent Forrest and Kobe Bufkin alongside Mills as potential options should the need arise, Mills has played more NBA minutes at the 1 than the rest of Atlanta’s bench unit combined, and is far more qualified* than either Forrest or Bufkin to step in and run the offense in a pinch.
*No disrespect to Forrest or Bufkin, who are both young and could prove to be capable of handling primary ball-handling duties as the season progresses, but Forrest has been utilized in more of an off-ball role on the offensive end of the court during his time in the NBA, while Bufkin’s first time playing point guard was in the 2023 Summer League. Of the three players, Mills is the safest option to slot in at the 1.
Even though Mills’ on-court role for next season is yet to be determined, whether he plays 100 minutes or 1,000 minutes next season, he is sure to be a valuable voice in the locker room, and an excellent role model for the younger players on the Hawks’ roster to look up to both on and off the basketball court.
Disclaimer: All statistics/videos used in this article are from either basketballreference.com, pbpstats.com, nba.com/stats, bball-index.com, or cleaningtheglass.com.
Atlanta’s dance scene is vibrant and eclectic, and we are honored to highlight some of the many local dancers who move us with their movements in our ongoing series “Speaking of Dance.”
This edition highlights Atlanta performer, Frankie Mulinix, the founder and artistic director of Burning Bones Physical Theatre. She specializes in the evocative Butoh, a 1950s-era Japanese dance-theater art form that blends German expressionism, mime, and European philosophy to explore taboo subjects through dance.
For Mulinix, discovering Butoh during her undergraduate studies was transformative. “My body said, this is home,” she shared.
As an artist-in-residence at Windmill Arts, Mulinix is dedicated to building Atlanta’s Butoh community from the ground up, educating audiences about its history and global significance. Her work aims to transform emotion into experience, creating visceral performances that resonate deeply with performers and audiences alike.
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Burning Bones Physical Theatre has an exciting 2025 season planned, with more information at Frankie Mulinix’s website here.
Atlanta Hawks (20-19, ninth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Chicago Bulls (18-22, 10th in the Eastern Conference)
Chicago; Wednesday, 8 p.m. EST
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Bulls -2; over/under is 245
BOTTOM LINE: Atlanta visits the Chicago Bulls after Trae Young scored 43 points in the Hawks’ 122-117 win against the Phoenix Suns.
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The Bulls are 15-13 against Eastern Conference opponents. Chicago is 10-13 in games decided by at least 10 points.
The Hawks are 13-7 against Eastern Conference opponents. Atlanta is eighth in the league scoring 17.2 fast break points per game. Jalen Johnson leads the Hawks averaging 3.6.
The Bulls average 118.1 points per game, 1.7 fewer points than the 119.8 the Hawks give up. The Hawks average 13.2 made 3-pointers per game this season, 0.3 fewer makes per game than the Bulls allow.
TOP PERFORMERS: Nikola Vucevic is averaging 20.3 points, 10.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists for the Bulls.
Johnson is scoring 19.8 points per game and averaging 10.1 rebounds for the Hawks.
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LAST 10 GAMES: Bulls: 5-5, averaging 120.7 points, 48.1 rebounds, 30.8 assists, 8.1 steals and 4.8 blocks per game while shooting 47.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 119.8 points per game.
Hawks: 6-4, averaging 120.2 points, 42.5 rebounds, 29.8 assists, 11.1 steals and 5.0 blocks per game while shooting 47.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 120.4 points.
INJURIES: Bulls: Adama Sanogo: day to day (knee), Torrey Craig: day to day (leg), Ayo Dosunmu: day to day (achilles).
Hawks: Kobe Bufkin: out for season (shoulder), Larry Nance Jr.: out (hand), Jalen Johnson: day to day (shoulder), Cody Zeller: day to day (personal), De’Andre Hunter: day to day (foot).
___
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Clear and cold overnight with lows in the 20s to low 30s in town. Sunny and cool Wednesday afternoon. Milder by the end of the week and rain for Saturday. Here is the latest.
ATLANTA – Residents across Georgia can expect a mix of rain, cold, and the possibility of snowflakes in the coming days as winter weather patterns continue to shift.
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What we know:
According to FOX 5 Storm Team Chief Meteorologist David Chandley, widespread rain is forecast for the weekend, with extreme northern areas possibly seeing snowflakes late Sunday into Monday. Significant snow accumulation is not expected.
“Yeah, this go-around into the weekend, really, we’re just going to see some rain across North Georgia,” Chandley stated. He added that next week’s forecast remains uncertain, with Arctic air potentially influencing weather conditions. “We’ve got a whole week to kind of hash that out. All the things can change.”
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The Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Monday will likely be chilly but dry for much of Georgia. “It’s going to be chilly, but it looks like dry conditions for the MLK holiday celebration,” Chandley explained.
In metro Atlanta, Tuesday could bring a slight chance of wintry precipitation as temperatures drop. “January is very active, no doubt about it,” Chandley noted.
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Metro Atlanta forecast
Tonight: Partly cloudy, low near 30°F.
Wednesday: Sunny, high around 48°F.
Thursday: Sunny, breezy, high near 53°F.
Friday Night to Saturday: Rain moves in late Friday, with showers likely Saturday. Highs in the mid-50s.
Sunday: Mostly cloudy, high near 48°F. A few snowflakes possible in extreme North Georgia late.
MLK Day (Monday): Mostly sunny, high near 37°F. A slight chance of rain or snow.
Extreme North Georgia Mountains forecast
Tonight: Partly cloudy, low near 20°F.
Wednesday: Sunny, high near 42°F.
Thursday: Sunny, breezy, high near 46°F.
Friday Night to Saturday: Showers likely Friday night into Saturday, high near 49°F.
Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, low near 20°F.
MLK Day (Monday): Slight chance of snow, mostly sunny, high near 34°F.
Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., the snow should move out before noon for the swearing-in ceremony on Capitol Hill. Highs will be in the 20s and lows will be around 12 degrees under mostly cloudy skies.
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Possible snow in Georgia?
What we don’t know:
While the immediate forecast is becoming clearer, there is still uncertainty surrounding next week’s weather patterns. FOX 5 Meteorologist Jonathan Stacey highlighted the potential for snow but emphasized that forecasts remain in flux. “I know many of you are thinking about some snow because you’re hearing about some snow,” Stacey said. “At this point, all we can do is just pay attention and see what’s out there. As we get closer, we’ll look for consistency.”
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Key questions remain:
Will Arctic air and other weather systems converge to create snow across Georgia?
How might fluctuating temperatures impact the likelihood of wintry precipitation?
Will it snow in Atlanta again?
The temperature is expected to take a plunge this weekend, with wet weather on the way. How likely is it that this precipitation will turn into snow? Here’s a look ahead with FOX 5 Storm Team Meteorologist Jonathan Stacey.
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Snow next week?
Timeline:
Here is a look at the timeline of weather for the next week:
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Tuesday: Slight chance of wintry precipitation in metro Atlanta as temperatures drop.
Friday Night to Saturday: Rain moves into the region.
Sunday to Monday: Snowflakes possible in extreme North Georgia; the rest of the state remains chilly with mostly dry conditions.
MLK Day: Chilly but dry conditions for holiday celebrations.
What’s next:
Meteorologists will continue monitoring weather models throughout the week. Residents are encouraged to stay updated via trusted local forecasts, including FOX 5, and prepare for any changes in the weather as Arctic air moves closer. “All we can do is just pay attention,” Jonathan Stacey advised, underscoring the importance of staying alert to new developments.
The Source: This article is sourced from original forecasting by the FOX 5 Storm Team.
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