Paul Millsap is the opposition now. In being such, the Hawks forward expects a not-so-friendly reception from fans when he returns to Utah Monday.
It will be Millsap’s first game at EnergySolutions Arena as a visitor after playing his first seven NBA seasons with the Jazz.
“They should boo me,” Millsap said. “I’m on the opposing team. Anyone comes into your house, you boo them. I expect the worst.”
But …
“Hopefully, it’s not what I expect it will be,” he added.
Millsap faced the Jazz earlier this season, a 118-85 victory Dec. 20 in Atlanta, and had 14 points and 10 rebounds. This will be different. This time he will have to find the visitor’s locker room. This time he will wear a visitor’s uniform.
None of that can erase the seven previous seasons.
“It’s going to be different,” Millsap said. “Everything will be the opposite but I have to get there and see what happens.”
Millsap signed with the Hawks as an unrestricted free agent almost immediately after the Jazz renounced his contract rights. He agreed to a two-year, $19 million contract.
“He was a priority for us from the start,” Hawks general manager Danny Ferry said at Millsap’s introductory press conference in July. “He got the call at 12:01 (a.m. ET at the start of NBA free agency).”
Millsap, who had solid seasons in Utah, has blossomed with the Hawks. He was named to his first All-Star team, representing the Eastern Conference as a reserve. In 55 games with the Hawks, Millsap is averaging 17.5 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.1 blocks in 33.0 minutes. In 540 games with the Jazz, Millsap averaged 12.4 points and 7.0 rebounds.
Jazz fans might not recognize Millsap when he steps outside the 3-point line. With the Hawks he is 56-for-155 (.361) from 3-point range. In seven seasons with Jazz he was 31-for-113 (.274).
This season, Millsap is the only player in the NBA averaging at least 16.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.0 blocks.
Millsap was a second-round pick (No. 47 overall) of the Jazz in the 2006 NBA draft. He signed an offer sheet from the Trail Blazers in 2009 as a restricted free agent that the Jazz matched.
The Jazz went in a different direction this season and renounced his contract rights. The Hawks acted quickly and the Jazz’s loss has been their gain.
The return will be the third game back since Millsap missed five games with a right knee contusion. He had seven points and three rebounds in 17 minutes against the Warriors Friday and 14 points, five rebounds, four assists, four steals and one block against the Clippers Saturday.
The Hawks are limping into Utah as losers of six straight games and 14 of 15 overall. The game is the final of a five-game western road trip. The Hawks, who remain eighth in the Eastern Conference playoff race, play 13 of their final 20 regular-season games at home.
Millsap may expect boos but he knows there will be some friendly faces. He still owns a home in Utah.
“I still have friends, a lot of friends that I accumulated over the years,” Millsap said. “A lot of close friends.”
