Patty Mills is ready to get back in action for the San Antonio Spurs as he gears up for the team’s training camp with the excitement of participating in the NBA preseason in full health. Mills came off a grueling rehabilitation program after having an offseason surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder.

Mills is completely healthy again and is relishing the chance to prepare for another tough NBA season in training camp instead of being on the sideline recovering from a shoulder injury.

“I’m excited to get a full preseason in this year, which obviously I missed last year,” Mills said, reports Kens 5. “The body’s good, the lungs are good and the shoulder’s good, first and foremost.”

Mills had a poor season with the Spurs last year, shooting just 38.1 per cent from the floor and 34.1 per cent from beyond the arc. At various points, the Boomers point guard lost his backup role to Canadian guard Cory Joseph, who is now playing for the Toronto Raptors. According to Mills, it was partly because of a lingering shoulder that never felt completely right.

Despite a bothersome shoulder, Mills was still able to help Australia qualify to Rio 2016 Olympics after defeating New Zealand at the 2015 FIBA Oceania Championship in August. The 6-foot-1 Aussie played a limited role, replacing an injured Dante Exum, and realised he needed more rehab work on his right shoulder. Mills revealed that a few good months of solid rehab made a “huge difference” to get him ready for this year’s NBA action.

"I think I realised it the most when I came back from my shoulder and I realised how I missed that period of time to develop my game," Mills said, reports SB Nation. "The summertime, and the open gym stuff that we do, as well as training camp, you make strides from game to game, and that's what I realized the most when I came back, that I missed all of that, and it hurt me at some point last season, so that's why I'm so excited to be here and working at it now."

Mills got considerable playing time starting at point guard for the Spurs’ preseason opener against the Sacramento Kings, with star point guard Tony Parker at rest. San Antonio dropped its first preseason game 95-92, but the Australian point guard was able to log in quality minutes, along with 11 points and five assists. He is expected to start at point guard position again on Monday when the Spurs visit the Miami Heat.

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