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San Antonio Spurs Sorely Missing Patty Mills

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Patty Mills San Antonio Spurs

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The start of the San Antonio Spurs’ repeat campaign hasn’t been as glorious as they had hoped. Injuries and a slow start have lead to the mediocre record of 4-3. It’s early in the season, but it’s already clear that they’re missing the efforts of Patty Mills.

The best 3-point shooting team in the NBA last season was none other than the Spurs, who shot nearly 40 percent from beyond the arc. Many of those long-range attacks came by the hand of Mills, sparking scoring runs and momentum changes in big games. Now the Spurs sit second to last in 3-point shooting.

Not only did Mills provide a consistent threat from downtown, he was a pesky on-ball defender who pressured offense with a passion. He was by no means the reason why the Spurs were successful last year, but he played an integral part in helping the Spurs’ transition through offensive energy lapses inside games. His energy on and off the court was contagious, spurring on teammates from the sidelines with his towel-waving and gutsy plays when needed.

In the absence of the fiery guard, the Spurs look sluggish at times and seem to be in search for a second wind that Mills was usually responsible for. Corey Joseph plays hard, but doesn’t seem to have a knack for lifting his teammates’ spirits the way Mills did.

Danny Green even alluded to the importance of Mills and the energy he brings after a loss this season. He told a reporter that the Spurs are lacking something, and he thinks it was the fire that Mills would bring to the sidelines and the court. The Spurs might also be missing Mills’ 10.2 PPG and 42 percent 3=point shooting from a year ago.

The fact is Mills isn’t expected to return to the team until mid-January, Marco Belinelli and Tiago Splitter are both injured as well, so San Antonio has some soul searching to do. The Spurs will have to find a new source of energy if they are to keep up their championship aspirations this season.

Winston Harris is a San Antonio sports writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter @winstonharris34. “Like” him on Facebook and add him on Google.

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