Andre Miller Aims to Play Until He’s 40 Years Old

Thirty-seven-year-old point guard Andre Miller thinks he can gut out three more seasons in the League. Miller’s goal is to play until he’s 40. Per the Denver Post: “The 37-year-old point guard is staring down the start of his 15th NBA season, with 1,126 games under his belt and more than 37,000 minutes played. He will cross the 40,000-minute mark this season if he averages 30 minutes per game. ‘I could still play 35 minutes,’ Miller said. ‘Coming back here, I was slowed down (last year). I was doing well in Portland, playing 33, 34 minutes a game, and the situation was, I was traded back here and basically told I would be a backup. I still feel I can play a high amount of minutes, but teams have what they are doing, and I have to fall in line.’ This training camp has started like so many of the others for Miller. He practices full time and plays part time, just as much as he needs to get in shape for the regular season. He has always been a coach’s favorite in Denver, and this season is no different — even if the man calling the shots is. New Nuggets coach Brian Shaw is a big fan. ‘I think he still has something in the tank,’ Shaw said. ‘It’s really a matter of what he’s accepting of, in terms of his role. He’s been one of the most underrated players in this league for a long time. What he does out there doesn’t look pretty, but it’s effective.’ […] ‘It was a tough season last year,’ Miller said. ‘In the regular season, we kind of burned ourselves out. Going into the playoffs, we just didn’t have the legs to play like we played for 82 games. That’s tough to do. I can’t worry about the trade rumors. I do my job every day. Regardless, I show up to work, practice. I’ve never missed a game as a Nugget. I couldn’t care less what people say as far as my preparation and what I do on the court.’ His preparation in the summer was simple. He rested. He’s aiming to play until he’s 40 — and that requires two more seasons beyond this one. To do that, he’ll have to show the new coaching staff he has the staying power. Teammates believe he can do it. ‘He has youthful legs,’ guard Ty Lawson said. ‘You can see when people are getting old. With Dre, you can’t see that.’ […] ‘He’s at the age I was in my last year of playing — 37. Phil Jackson told me, ‘We know what you can do,’ Shaw said, speaking of the former Los Angeles Lakers coach. ‘We had Kareem Rush and Jannero Pargo, two rookie guards. (Jackson) said: ‘I need to see what these guys can do. I know what you can do.’ So he said, ‘I’m not going to play you after the all-star break, for the most part.’ You don’t want to hear it, because you’ve been doing this most of your life. And really, the only advantage that the younger guys have is their energy level, quickness and the athletic ability that you’ve lost some of. You still know how to play and have a better feel for the game, which (Miller) does better than any of the other guards we have on the team.'”