Nuggets Film Room: How Paul Millsap’s rim protection helps Denver

For the fourth episode of Denver Nuggets Film Room, here’s a look at Paul Millsap’s defense and how much rim protection he brings to the table.

The Denver Nuggets couldn’t have asked for a better defensive power forward to pair with Nikola Jokic this summer. Sure, it would have been nice if they picked up Draymond Green if he was on the market in free agency, but Paul Millsap was the top realistic target and is one of the best defensive forwards in the league altogether.

He’s fantastic at everything Jokic is bad at: moving with agility, switching out onto the perimeter, covering pick-and-rolls, and guarding multiple positions. Millsap was sixth among power forwards in Defensive Real Plus/Minus last season at 3.35 and was an integral leader of the Atlanta Hawks’ fourth-ranked defense, which further reiterates why he’s such a perfect four to complement Jokic. The Nuggets desperately need to improve on defense next season after ranking a dismal 29th in 2016-17, and Jokic’s flaws are a factor.

Of course, there’s only so much Millsap can do when it comes to protecting the rim. He may excel in other areas, although at 6’8″ with decent but not explosive athleticism, he can’t override all the issues that come with being undersized as a rim protector. When it comes to stopping a center like Marc Gasol or DeMarcus Cousins at the basket, Millsap can’t be relied upon to lock them up. This will still be when Jokic, who’s the center after all, needs to use his strength and long arms to bother shots directly under the rim.

Part of the reason Millsap allowed 51.7 percent shooting at the rim last season, per NBA.com (which is fine, but not great), is, again, because of what bigger opponents can do against him. Even though Millsap won’t play a ton of center, the Nuggets should experiment with it at times so they’re more switchable defensively and can keep one of Millsap or Jokic with the bench more often (Millsap spent nine percent of his minutes at the five last season).

As you can see here, Al Jefferson‘s bigger frame makes it easier for him to move around Millsap on the low block and finish past him:

Obviously, bruising post-up play isn’t used as heavily in the NBA now. Jefferson is well and truly a throwback in this regard. Nevertheless, this is an example of Millsap’s limitations. He can’t always overcome his lack of sheer size against certain opponents and he can’t rule over the paint in the same domineering fashion that someone like Rudy Gobert can.

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However, Millsap has excellent instincts, timing and length with his near 7’2″ wingspan. Before Dwight Howard arrived in Atlanta to help fill up the paint, Millsap did average a career-high in blocks in 2015-16 with 1.7. Thriving as a help defender and generally protecting the rim better than most power forwards is all the Nuggets can ask for. After they ranked 24th in opponent shooting within five feet of the basket last season at a useless 61.3 percent, per NBA.com, anything Millsap can do to trim that number down will make a difference.

Millsap can strengthen Denver’s backline of defense when guards let opponents penetrate the lane or when Jokic gets pulled out in a pick-and-roll and is beaten off the dribble by the ball handler. Millsap defended 7.5 shots per game at the rim last season, which was actually more than his shot-blocking counterpart Dwight Howard (5.9).

That helps show how active Millsap is and how he’s used, which you can see come to fruition here when Howard’s almost beaten by Aaron Brooks off the dribble. Millsap recognizes the attack coming, shifts into position and times his jump perfectly to reject the layup:

You can see Millsap’s elite help defense in full effect in the next clip as well. As Hassan Whiteside bullies his way down the baseline, Millsap waits for just the right moment to block the shot and avoid fouling through so much traffic:

Just think how good it will look for the Nuggets to have Millsap bailing out Jokic on possessions like this.

In one-on-one situations, Millsap is also capable of things like this (unfortunately, Jabari Parker gets the ball back for a dunk, but the initial two-handed block is pretty good):

Millsap can hold his own against guards, too. Being able to switch across several positions is such a huge strength, and as Millsap blocked Derrick Rose three times in this January contest, he showed how he can stick to smaller players and contest their drives to the rim:

The Nuggets can always trust Millsap to play hard, too. Here, against fellow 6’8″ forward Paul George, Millsap smothers him under the basket and stuffs his shot twice after starting with another well-timed help block. Effort is one of many traits that makes Millsap such a stellar defensive player:

Even though Millsap can’t eradicate every mistake the Nuggets’ defense will make, whether someone gives up an open lane to drive from the perimeter or Jokic is just too slow, he’ll still help immensely. His leadership is one of the biggest factors that’ll improve the team’s communication to get players talking, rotating and staying in the right spots, while his overall skill and help defense will make an individual impact that not many power forwards can surpass.

Next: The two sides to pursuing Kyrie Irving

And as a rim protector and nothing else, Millsap covering for some of the weaknesses of others will help Denver climb up from the bottom of the league in defense. This is just one of many things to love about the Nuggets finally getting their coveted All-Star.