Should the Philadelphia 76ers Target Patty Mills in Free Agency this Offseason?
Offensive Proficiency
One of the best attributes of Patty Mills’ game is his outside shot. Through his 7 year NBA career Mills has a 39% 3-point shooting percentage. While he has been firmly cemented behind Tony Parker on the Spurs depth chart, Mills’ minutes per game have steadily increased as his career has progressed; now averaging almost 22 minutes per game. In the 2016-2017 season, Mills is averaging a career high 43.5% 3-point percentage, ranking 4th in the NBA. Just to put Mills shooting prowess in perspective he has made 5 more 3-point shots than Robert Covington (91 vs 86) on 66 less attempts (209 vs 275). Mills is a player who can create his own shot, but also can benefit from a well-timed pass
Mills is also a solid offensive player without the ball in his hand. In the article “Aussies in NBA: The understated brilliance of Patty Mills’ screens” by Ben Mallis, Mills screen game is profiled. As the modern NBA becomes more and more reliant on the pick and roll, having multiple players who can set and take advantage of screens becomes absolutely essential. Mills is also no slouch at passing the ball. Over the last two seasons, Mills has averaged 3 assists per game in roughly 21 minutes.
Starter Material
It’s increasingly apparent that Patty Mills deserves to be a starter in the NBA. While the Spurs would love to retain Mills’ services as a 6th man until Tony Parker retires, Patty Mills will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason and will surely be looking for starter minutes. His existing relationship with Brett Brown and his potential role as a mentor for compatriot Ben Simmons makes Philadelphia an obvious free agent destination. The Sixers are in desperate need of a starting point guard and a reliable outside shooter, both roles Mills can surely fill.
Projected over 34 minutes, Mills would average 15 points per game, and 5.5 assists based on his 2016 stats so far. While those numbers aren’t world beaters by any stretch of the imagination, they could serve as a nice complement to the production of Embiid and Simmons, and could prove to be even higher than projected, depending on how defenses choose to play.