Nuggets 2017 Player Outlook: Paul Millsap
By Mathew Huff
Last season, we tackled player outlooks on every player on the team and we are continuing it this season starting off with the new Nuggets’ star, Paul Millsap.
With the new NBA season quickly approaching for the Denver Nuggets, many are excited to see what Paul Millsap will bring to the table. Millsap is coming back home to the Mile High after being the star and face of the Atlanta Hawks franchise for the last few years.
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He is coming off a great season where he averaged 18.1 points per game to go along with 3.7 assists per game and 1.3 steals per game according to basketball-reference. He even has a great post season performance last season despite the Hawks not going very far at all.
With a new team this season, expect Millsap to take the young budding star, Nikola Jokic under his wing and take on more of a mentor role while helping anchor the paint down low on the defensive end of the court.
His scoring should remain around the same average of 18 points per game considering the Nuggets are one of the best passing teams in the league contrary to popular belief especially with Nikola Jokic. It would not make sense for the Nuggets to bring in a premier power forward and not make him one of the main scoring options.
His defensive stats should increase a bit as he is coming to a team who was debatebly the worst defensive unit last season, so he will be relied upon heavily for rim protection and guarding the best big men in the league to compensate Jokic’s defensive inefficiencies. With playoff experience and being a key veteran star, expect Millsap to lead the Nuggets back to the post season even in the competitive Western Conference.
Next: Will Mudiay finally break out?
Paul Millsap will have a great season for the Nuggets and help Nikola Jokic take even more steps forward in his development.