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Sloan’s was the first name Miles mentioned when he was asked about people who shaped his career, now heading into its 13th season.

Photo by Dave Abel/Postmedia Network

“One of the biggest things was playing for Jerry Sloan,” Miles said as he met with the Toronto media for the first time since he was acquired in a sign-and-trade deal with Indiana that sent hometown point guard Cory Joseph to the Pacers.

“That was the first coach I had in the NBA and I tell people all of the time that was one of the reasons I’m able to still be there. He instilled that work ethic into the way I approach the game, that bring-your-lunch-pail type of way, to make sure you do what you’re supposed to do to help your team and yourself be better.”

And if Sloan set him on the right path for a solid career, it was that conversation with Brown that ensured it would still be going strong more than a dozen years after it began.

“I think one of the first people that said something about it to me was Mike Brown when I was in Cleveland,” Miles said of honing his three-point skill set. “One day we sat down and he said, ‘For as well as you can shoot it, I feel like you don’t shoot enough and that’s from a three-point standpoint. That’s from the game and even the way you work on your game. You’re always in the gym but I don’t see you really honing in and working on that with it being such a weapon that you have.’ I accepted that challenge and I’ve taken pride in it over time and I’ve been able to use to my advantage, obviously, and my team’s advantage.”