Being LeBron James’ teammate is a demanding job, but it definitely has its rewards for those who put the work in. Mike Miller spent four seasons with King James — three with the Miami Heat and one with the Cleveland Cavaliers — and during that time he tailored his game to become the best complementary player he could be.
Advertisement
The hard work paid off, as Miller was an important part of title-winning teams in 2012 and 2013. His finest moment came in the championship-clinching Game 5 against the Thunder in 2012, when he scored 23 points on 7-8 shooting from 3.
On his recent appearance on Podcast P with Paul George, Miller explained the specific steps he took to change his game when he got to the pros.
“When I came in the league, I was kind of the jack-of-all-trades kind of dude, and I turned myself into a shooter because I had to,” Miller said. “I looked around, I came in with T-Mac and Grant Hill, I was like, ‘S***, you know what? The stuff I do, they do way better than me.’ So I had to have self-awareness.”
Miller taught himself the specific skills he needed to contribute on those Heat teams only after he experienced the crowd’s disappointment when he repeatedly failed at first.
“I get [to Miami], and I would basically run corner-to-corner, and Bron would throw them bullets at me,” Miller said. “I started doing a little drill where I go run on the treadmill for five minutes, jump off, make one 3. Come back, run on the treadmill, [do it again]. Had to make five in a row… ‘Listen, I’m gonna be that dude on this team, because D-Wade, Bron and CB need space. When they throw the ball to me, I gotta deliver.'”
They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but by this point in his career, Miller had been in the league for 10 seasons. He was 30 when he joined the Heat, and he managed to turn himself into the kind of role player every championship-winning team needs. It wasn’t easy, though.
“It was different, because you have no feel for the game. When you’re in the game and you got rhythm going, you’re good, but when you’re just running up and down and they throw you and you got 23-feet to cash, you gotta be a motherf***** mentally, I’ll be honest.”
Not every player would be willing to accept a smaller role, but Miller put his ego aside and did what was necessary. His three years with the Heat were the lowest-scoring seasons and the lowest minutes-per-game of his career to that point, but he made three Finals and got two rings, so it all worked out for the best.
