SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4 Sports) - The Utah Jazz did not land the "big game" Danny Ainge talked about in April, but they did sign a few key veteran role players this summer.
Patty Mills is about to begin his 16th NBA season. He's won NBA titles with the San Antonio Spurs, Olympic medals with Australia, and has seen it all in the game of the basketball. So after agreeing to a deal with the Jazz the summer, he'll be a mentor to the young Jazz guards like Keyonte George and Isaiah Collier.
"The role that I have on this team this year is very clear," Mills said. "This part of my career and what I have to bring to an incredibly young, talented group is exciting for me to be able to share what I've experienced over the course of 15 years in the NBA. With an NBA championship, five Olympic Games and an Olympic medal, being able to help them navigate through a season, not being able to ride the highs too high ride the lows too low."
Mills played in just 32 games last year split between Atlanta and Miami, but was Australia's leading scorer in the Summer Games in Paris.
"This is a perfect example of what a pro in the NBA looks like, both in how you carry yourself, what you do off the court, how you handle your business," said Jazz general manager Justin Zanik. "The way he works, his work ethic, his routine, how he takes care of his body, it's a huge example, not only for our young guards like Keyonte, but also all of our young guys."
Drew Eubanks, a 6-foot-10 power forward, credits Jazz head coach Will Hardy when they were both with the Spurs on helping him develop into a key NBA role player. Eubanks has played in 323 games over six seasons with San Antonio, Portland and Phoenix.
"He was a guy I worked with like every single day,:" Eubanks said about Hardy. "My first two years in San Antonio, and when we got to the bubble, he broke it down for me and put me in a position where I could succeed. That helped catapult my career to give me the start and earn another contract."
"He adds a level of physicality that's going to be really good for our young bigs," Zanik said. "He plays hard, great dude, very good communicator. I think that can really help Walker [Kessler] and Taylor [Hendricks]."
Svi Mykhailiuk, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard, was a part of Boston's NBA championship team last year, and he's looking for a bigger role on the Jazz after averaging four points per game for the Celtics.
"I was very excited to come here," Mykhailiuk said. "I heard a lot of good things about the organization, the city and I feel like it was a pretty easy choice for me to come here. I have a lot of guys I know here, and overall it was just a lot of good thoughts about coming here."
This will be Mykhailiuk's eighth NBA team in seven seasons. He also played with the Lakers, Pistons, Thunder, Raptors, Knicks, Hornets and Celtics.
"He's kind of bounced around a little bit, but he's got real athletic skills," Zanik said. "He has the ability to shoot. I think there could be some upside there as far as what we could get out of him."