ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½

The 2024–25 NBA season opened up last week, with three former Gaels making their season debuts. Alex Ducas ’24 made his career debut with the Oklahoma City Thunder after signing a two-way contract in July. Jock Landale ’18 took to the court for his fourth NBA season and his second with the Houston Rockets. After captaining the Australian national team at the Paris Olympics, Patty Mills ’09 appears in his first season with the Utah Jazz—and his 16th season in the NBA. 

Rookie Season: Ducas with the Thunder

After going undrafted this past summer, Alex Ducas was snagged by Oklahoma City for Summer League play. While he dealt with a hip injury that caused him to miss Summer League game action, Ducas still did enough to earn a two-way contract with the Thunder. 

Ducas made his preseason debut against the Spurs on October 7, playing 13 minutes off the bench and scoring five points. He played 13 more minutes against the Rockets two days later, burying a three. Ducas had his breakout game of the preseason in a matchup with the New Zealand Breakers, as the Geraldton, West Australia native started, played 36 minutes, and scored 15 points to go along with four rebounds. 

To that he added an efficient six minutes in a 30-point walloping of Denver, scoring five points on 50% shooting, and closed out his preseason with 12 minutes of play against the Hawks. 

Ducas opened his NBA career along with fellow rookies Dillon Jones (Weber State), Ajay Mitchell (UC Santa Barbara), Alex Reese (Alabama), and Nikola Topic (Serbia). Ducas, Mitchell, and second-year player Adam Flagler are all on two-way contracts, with a chance to play for the Thunder before the G-League season starts next month. The Thunder opened their season on October 24, defeating the Nuggets in Denver 102–87.

Big Man in Houston: Landale with the Rockets

Fellow Aussie Jock Landale has kicked off his fourth NBA season, and his second with the Houston Rockets. Landale has been a regular off the bench for the Spurs, Suns, and now Rockets in each of his first three seasons. He has appeared in 179 of 246 games throughout his NBA career, and he has averaged six points and three rebounds per contest, shooting 52% from the field. 

After a quiet first five months of the season last year, Landale burst onto the scene in March and April, appearing in 23 games and averaging 8.6 points per game while shooting 58.8% from the field. He even picked up his first 20+ point scoring game since his rookie season, scoring 20 on the road in a victory over Portland. Landale appeared in one preseason game this season, scoring two points and reeling in five boards in 19 minutes of play against Oklahoma City. He enters the season competing with Steven Adams for the number two center role for Houston. Adams missed the entire 2023–24 campaign following PCL surgery. The Rockets opened their season on October 23, coming up just short against the Hornets, before besting the Grizzlies by 20 on October 25.

Five-Time Olympian and Now Mentor: Mills with the Jazz

Rounding out the group is grizzled veteran Patty Mills. Entering his 16th NBA season with his sixth franchise, Mills opened this year with the Utah Jazz—serving as a leader and mentor on a team with 10 players who have three or fewer years of NBA experience. Last season, he appeared in just 19 games for Atlanta before being waived and signed a week later by the Miami Heat. There, he appeared in 11 of his first 12 games for the Heat, starting five, and scoring a season high 17 against Portland. He finished out the season appearing in 13 regular season games with the Heat and four postseason games. 

This summer he led the Australian men’s national team—his fifth appearance in the Olympics, and following on the first-ever medal for the Boomers in the Olympics, in Tokyo. In 2024, Mills was one of 10 Indigenous athletes representing Australia—and the first five-time Indigenous Olympian.

This fall he appeared in two preseason contests for the Jazz, playing a total of 29 minutes against the Blazers and Kings, and shooting 50% from the field. He enters the season as the number two point guard for Utah, behind Keyontae George. The Jazz opened their season on October 23, losing to the Grizzlies by two. 

At Saint Mary’s UCU Pavilion, the jerseys of Patty Mills and Jock Landale are among those hanging from the rafters. We’ll see what unfolds this season for them—and for the latest Gael-turned-NBA player, Alex Ducas. Safe to say that drawing on their time as Gaels, they’ll bring grit, determination, and teamwork to the games.