The NBA preseason is underway and the Denver Nuggets’ Paul Millsap has looked rusty.
Paul Millsap of the Denver Nuggets has not looked like the Atlanta version of Millsap so far this preseason. Whether this is due to him getting used to a new role or Father Time catching up with the veteran power forward remains to be seen.
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However, the big free agent acquisition for the Nuggets a couple summers ago has not even cracked double figures in the scoring department in the three preseason games Denver has played. If there is a positive to this, it is that the team is still 3-0 despite his offensive ineffectiveness.
So, is it time to worry about the four time All Star? Or, is this just a case of knocking off the rust after a long off season and trying to re-gain some rhythm after missing 44 games last season due to a wrist injury which required surgery?
As of right now, the best we can say is a combination of both. Coming into the season, we all knew Paul Millsap will not be the number one or even number two option of the offense and would have to embrace the new role of being the defensive quarterback down low and possibly the defensive anchor of the whole team.
As a result, his offensive production was going to drop off no matter what.
However, his poor shooting percentages in the three wins resulting in less than 10 points is also concerning. In the over Perth, Millsap shot 28.6% for only five points. In the second game against the Lakers, Millsap only had three points while shooting a putrid 20% from the field. In the first game of the preseason, Millsap only scored six points on 20% shooting as well.
As we can see from these stats, Millsap is having trouble finding his jumper and cannot find a way to get the ball into the hoop at an efficient clip so far.
The Nuggets are going to be fine on the offensive end of the floor this season regardless of Millsap’s production. What we need Paul for is to help anchor the defensive interior and help Nikola Jokic out on with his defensive weaknesses.
While the offensive struggles are warranted for a little concern, we only need to start panicking about Millsap if he starts becoming inept at the defensive end of the floor.
Hopefully, the veteran power forward can starting getting into the swing of things offensively soon.