Much has been made of Paul Millsap adding a 3-point shot to his basketball repertoire since joining the Hawks three years ago.
However, it’s what the power forward has done since adding that dimension to his game that has made him a three-time All-Star.
“What’s special about Paul is he keeps on getting better,” teammate Kyle Korver said. “He’s a better basketball player than he was last year and he’s a better player than he was two years ago when he came (to Atlanta). He just keeps on getting better. He keeps on adding to his game. Lots of times when guys get bigger contracts, you don’t always see that.”
The Hawks thought enough of Millsap to re-sign him to a three-year, $59 million contract this summer as an unrestricted free agent after being named to the Eastern Conference All-Star team his first two seasons in Atlanta. He did it again.
Millsap was named an All-Star reserve Thursday and will make his third consecutive trip to the midseason exhibition. He joins Joe Johnson, Dominique Wilkins, Lenny Wilkens, Lou Hudson, Bob Pettit and Slater Martin as the only players to earn All-Star honors in three consecutive seasons with the Hawks.
“Especially with the spacing, I’m able to take guys off the dribble now,” Millsap said of his long-range shot. “It’s expanding my game. To be able to come here and, actually, showcase that I can shoot the 3-point shot. That was the big thing.”
Versatility is the oft-used word to describe Millsap by coaches and players. He’s had an inside presence during his first seven seasons in the NBA with the Jazz. Adding the 3-point shot made gave him an outside presence. Those skills leave opposing coaches with a dilemma. The view from two of them:
• He’s a beast down low in the post,” Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. “So if you put a smaller guy to chase him around the 3-point line he is going to pound you inside. If you put too big a guy on him he’s going to pull you away from the basket.”
• “He has an ability to stretch the floor and shoot it, knock down the 3,” Nuggets coach Mike Malone said. “His ability to put the ball on the floor very effectively. He can score from the perimeter. He can score off the bounce. He can score with his back to the basket.”
Millsap leads the Hawks in scoring at 18.0 points, rebounding at 8.8 boards and steals at 1.9 thefts per game. He ranks second in blocks at 1.4 and third in assists at 3.4 per game. Only point guards Jeff Teague (246) and Dennis Schroder (214) have more assists than Millsap (159) through the Hawks’ first 48 games.
Millsap is shooting 49.2 percent from the field, including 30.3 percent from 3-point range this season. Before coming to the Hawks, Millsap was 31-of-113 (.274) from 3-point range. In his two-plus seasons in Atlanta, he is 190-of-550 (.345).
“When he first came here, his 3-point shot got unlocked,” Korver said. “He was able to start doing that. Guys closing out to him harder has set up his drive game. He’s become a better and better passer. He’s starting finishing with his left hand, little float shots with his left hand, this year. It’s been incredible to watch. Either hand down (low) he’s comfortable with.”
Millsap is far from just an offensive player. His defense and rebounding are staples of his game. Korver called him a “two-way power forward.” Millsap led the nation in rebounding three consecutive seasons at Louisiana Tech, the only player in Division I history to do so.
“You go back to when he was in college, he’s always been a high-level rebounder,” Malone said. “That’s one thing we always say always translates from college to the NBA. If you can rebound in college, you can rebound in the NBA. You add his character, I’ve never coached Paul, but from afar I’ve always admired his work ethic, his toughness, his game. You add that to his rebounding and to his offensive versatility, you don’t get much better than a guy like Paul Millsap.”
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