Paul Millsap Has Developed Into a Monster

[Guest]

Scouting NBA players is an inexact science. You can observe how a player performs against a certain level of competition, but there are numerous variables that enter the equation regarding his prospects at becoming an effective player at the best basketball league in the world.

The Atlanta Hawks’ Paul Millsap entered the league as an undersized power forward and the 47th overall pick out of Louisiana Tech in 2006. However, he’s developed his craft steadily throughout a 10-year career to become possibly the best all-around big man in the Eastern Conference.

Post players who measure in at 6’7.25″ in shoes (as Millsap did at the pre-draft camp) don’t usually get rave reviews from scouts, and the one-time Bulldog was no exception.

Millsap had a relentless motor in the paint and overpowered his opponents in the Western Athletic Conference. But what about at the NBA level? Defenders are bigger, stronger and more explosive. How exactly was a 6’7″ banger with only a few offensive moves, just decent athleticism and no outside game to speak of going to carve out anything more than an end-of-the-rotation role?

That’s where Paul’s insatiable desire to improve comes in.

We won’t go into all the details behind every change Millsap made, but we will acknowledge the result: he’s dropped a good amount of fat from a 258-pound frame coming into the league, and he’s morphed into a respectable shooter from outside the arc and from the mid-range areas. Want to take away his open jump shots? Sorry, he’s become too comfortable putting the ball on the deck for a drive or turning his back to the basket and calling upon the services of his crafty post game.

Essentially, Millsap went from being an undersized power forward to a ultra-versatile 3/4/5 hybrid, thanks to his combination of quickness, strength and diverse skills.

His coach at Tech, Keith Richard, said this about his constant progression, per Grantland’s Jonathan Abrams: “He goes to college and the first year he was just a layup guy. The second year, we could actually throw it to him in the post. His third year, he started facing the basket [from] 15, 17 feet. Then he goes to the NBA and his game takes another step every year, to the point now that he’s raining down 3s.”

Millsap’s addition to his game this season has been guard-esque ball-handling, and it’s helped the 30-year old put together the best campaign of his career thus far.

In fact, you can safely put his stats against any Eastern Conference big and feel like ‘Sap has the advantage (basic box-score stats are per 100 possessions).

With the help of Basketball-Reference’s handy-dandy Player Season Finder, we can figure out how many guys in NBA history have matched Millsap’s sick per-game stat line of 18.3 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.6 steals, 2.0 steals and 1.2 blocks (the Player Season Finder only filters four different statistical categories simultaneously, so I’ll do the math on the blocks for you).

Charles Barkley is the only guy who has matched Paul’s numbers, and he only did it once. That’s it.

I mean, the guy is doing stuff like this.

 

 

 

 

 

And this.

 

 

 

 

While being keenly aware of where his teammates are at all times.

 

 

 

 

 

We haven’t really touched on his defense, but don’t discount Millsap as a versatile defender. He’s exactly the weapon the Hawks need against small-ball lineups. He took on the challenge of defending LeBron James at several points during last season’s Eastern Conference Finals, but he’s also a tough interior stopper thanks to active hands and quick feet.

For those who haven’t watched the Hawks power forward play much, he’s basically Atlanta’s version of the Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green. They both came into the league as undersized second-round posts without an ideal NBA position but have diligently honed their basketball skills so that both can now play several positions at a high level.

Sure, Green is definitely stingier on defense and makes more “wow” passes, but Paul is a much more reliable low-post scorer. Overall, there are still many parallels between their games.

Millsap has made the past two Eastern Conference All-Star teams. Now, his ball skills are better than ever, and he’s wrested away the unofficial title of the Hawks’ best player away from Al Horford and Jeff Teague—if one of the two even had it in the first place.

His Hawks won’t win 60 games again, but Sharpie in the ever-improving Paul Millsap as one of the Eastern Conference All-Stars again this season.

http://www.todaysfastbreak.com/nba-east/southeast/atlanta-hawks/paul-millsap-developed-monster/

[benhillboy]

It's not a big deal, he just Sappin in this muthaf$&ka.

The Draymond comparison is the obvious one, both should be honored.  I drew the Barkley comparison when we discussed Sap and Grandmama. 

You can't help but be happy for his extension (and the new one he's working on!), he deserves every penny.  I just wanna hear Supes declare once and for all Al can't f$&k with that man.  

Anynody else digging the win share stat right now ?(I know I may be late).  It seems as clean and accurate as you could want a single indicator to be.  Where is the loss share stat at though? 

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, benhillboy said:

It's not a big deal, he just Sappin in this muthaf$&ka.

The Draymond comparison is the obvious one, both should be honored.  I drew the mini-Barkley comparison when we discussed Sap and Grandmama.  You can't help but be happy for his extension (and the new one he's working on!), he deserves every penny.  I just wanna hear Supes declare once and for all Al can't f$&k with that man.  

Anynody else digging the win share stat right now ?(I know I may be late).  It seems as clean and accurate as you could want a single indicator to be.  Where is the loss share stat at though? 

@NBASupes  your  presence  is requested.

[Hawkmoor]

Too bad he doesnt have ANY help in the paint. If Cleveland had him, they would be UNBEATABLE......

[NBASupes]

In a trade, he can get us a haul. Trade him and Horford and tank

[MaceCase]

Hawks frontcourt is 1 deep right now.  In fact, I think Sap just joined Anthony Davis' email group "It's Just Me Out There".

[Guest]

This team and coaching staff owe Millsap an apology.

[macdaddy]

The rest of the Hawks need to pay attention to this and realize he's the go to guy.

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, macdaddy said:

The rest of the Hawks need to pay attention to this and realize he's the go to guy.

Hope you're including the coaching staff in that.  If I have to sit through another 2-quarter long floundering lead give-away while Sap is on the bench, I might get banned from chat due to behavior.

You know how hard it is to get banned from chat?

[Vol4ever]

I haven't even paid attention to the last couple of games.  We need to move horf and acquire a real big man.  Horf couldn't score on me inside and I'm only 6-3.

 

[benhillboy]

Imagine if he had signed with Orlando.  They'd be fun to watch and East contenders by next year with a little more bench help.  They'd be a younger, much more durable Heat with better defense at point but worse D at C.

[BigDog90]

18 hours ago, benhillboy said:

Imagine if he had signed with Orlando.  They'd be fun to watch and East contenders by next year with a little more bench help.  They'd be a younger, much more durable Heat with better defense at point but worse D at C.

I was surprised ORL considered him. They came out of nowhere. I just expected the usuals - NY, LA, HOU, etc. to be after him.

[Guest]

Paul Millsap was Impressed by Orlando’s Free Agent Pitch

Over the offseason, Paul Millsap was at the top of the Orlando Magic’s free agent wishlist. He was the first player the team met with once the free agency period opened at 12:01 a.m. on July 1.

The Magic ultimately offered Millsap a maximum contract, worth $80 million over four years. At the time, it was thought to be impressive that the Magic even got a meeting with Millsap considering he was one of the top names available during free agency and the Magic were coming off of a 25-win season.

Sunday was the first time the two teams played since that meeting in Atlanta occurred, and it was a meeting that left Millsap impressed.

“I was their first priority, and everything about their team was looking good at the time,” Millsap said. “It intrigued me. The presentation was great.”

Of course, Millsap eventually would re-sign with the Hawks, where he said he was most comfortable playing.

“I kind of knew where I wanted to be,” Millsap said. “I’d grown really fond of Atlanta and the teammates and the coaching staff. I felt like we’ve built something special thus far, and I felt like we can continue to grow.

“Weighing my options and seeing what’s out there — you have to do that. As a player, you have to see what’s out there. But, at the end of the day, I knew Atlanta was my home and it’s where I wanted to be.”

Millsap proved why he was so valuable on Sunday, as he recorded 13 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks in 35 minutes for the Hawks.

[macdaddy]

2 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Paul Millsap was Impressed by Orlando’s Free Agent Pitch

Over the offseason, Paul Millsap was at the top of the Orlando Magic’s free agent wishlist. He was the first player the team met with once the free agency period opened at 12:01 a.m. on July 1.

The Magic ultimately offered Millsap a maximum contract, worth $80 million over four years. At the time, it was thought to be impressive that the Magic even got a meeting with Millsap considering he was one of the top names available during free agency and the Magic were coming off of a 25-win season.

Sunday was the first time the two teams played since that meeting in Atlanta occurred, and it was a meeting that left Millsap impressed.

“I was their first priority, and everything about their team was looking good at the time,” Millsap said. “It intrigued me. The presentation was great.”

Of course, Millsap eventually would re-sign with the Hawks, where he said he was most comfortable playing.

“I kind of knew where I wanted to be,” Millsap said. “I’d grown really fond of Atlanta and the teammates and the coaching staff. I felt like we’ve built something special thus far, and I felt like we can continue to grow.

“Weighing my options and seeing what’s out there — you have to do that. As a player, you have to see what’s out there. But, at the end of the day, I knew Atlanta was my home and it’s where I wanted to be.”

Millsap proved why he was so valuable on Sunday, as he recorded 13 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks in 35 minutes for the Hawks.

It would have been a smart signing for the Magic.   He goes nicely with the big man in the middle and they have a bunch of promising guards.    They should probably be looking at Markieff now unless they don't want the crazy that comes with it.  

[benhillboy]

I'm not sure how he'd fit defensively next to Vucevic.  Undersized next to unaware isn't good.  Less space to work on offense and much lower level of passing as opposed to Boss, too.

I don't know anything about their backup bigs Deadmon, Smith, Gordon, and Nicholson.  I do know that our backup PG is better than their starter.  Atlanta is also the greatest city in the nation, so he made a smart decision.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Paul Millsap was Impressed by Orlando’s Free Agent Pitch

Over the offseason, Paul Millsap was at the top of the Orlando Magic’s free agent wishlist. He was the first player the team met with once the free agency period opened at 12:01 a.m. on July 1.

The Magic ultimately offered Millsap a maximum contract, worth $80 million over four years. At the time, it was thought to be impressive that the Magic even got a meeting with Millsap considering he was one of the top names available during free agency and the Magic were coming off of a 25-win season.

Sunday was the first time the two teams played since that meeting in Atlanta occurred, and it was a meeting that left Millsap impressed.

“I was their first priority, and everything about their team was looking good at the time,” Millsap said. “It intrigued me. The presentation was great.”

Of course, Millsap eventually would re-sign with the Hawks, where he said he was most comfortable playing.

“I kind of knew where I wanted to be,” Millsap said. “I’d grown really fond of Atlanta and the teammates and the coaching staff. I felt like we’ve built something special thus far, and I felt like we can continue to grow.

“Weighing my options and seeing what’s out there — you have to do that. As a player, you have to see what’s out there. But, at the end of the day, I knew Atlanta was my home and it’s where I wanted to be.”

Millsap proved why he was so valuable on Sunday, as he recorded 13 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks in 35 minutes for the Hawks.

I might get another Hawks jersey...an authentic Millsap one...and in 5, 10, 20 years from now, have no regrets. Sorry Smoove, JJ and Marv.

[benhillboy]

34 minutes ago, Spud2Nique said:

I might get another Hawks jersey...an authentic Millsap one...and in 5, 10, 20 years from now, have no regrets. Sorry Smoove, JJ and Marv.

10, 7, a block, .361 from three in 31 minutes per for Marvin in a playoff race?  Who would've ever dreamed Marvin would be in the best position of those three right now?  He should be home playing video games and eating cereal toward bankruptcy.  Good for Duck!

[Guest]

1 minute ago, benhillboy said:

10, 7, a block, .361 from three in 31 minutes per for Marvin in a playoff race?  Who would've ever dreamed Marvin would be in the best position of those three right now?  He should be home playing video games and eating cereal toward bankruptcy.  Good for Duck!

I still won't wear his jersey again.

[benhillboy]

And this awesome quote from Joeseph, per SB:

"I don’t really know what the expectations were. I honestly didn’t know. It’s the unknown. I didn’t know how good we would be, I didn’t know how we would be as a team. I didn’t know. So I just came and done what I was asked to do, just trying to help out."-- Nets forward Joe Johnson.

25 milly for "help". I love it.