Denver Nuggets: Is Paul Millsap becoming a liability?

Paul Millsap is a gritty, hard-nosed veteran who has been known for his defense and has been an asset on offense as well. But is he slowly becoming a liability for the Denver Nuggets?

When the Denver Nuggets signed Paul Millsap to a three year, $90 million dollar deal on the opening day of 2017 free agency, they imagined they were getting a proven veteran who could mentor the young talent on the team, as well as help them defensively and be a threat offensively.

It was the first “splash” the Nuggets had made in free agency in a long time, and it gave the Nuggets and their fans excitement for the upcoming season.

Millsap broke his wrist a few games into the 2017 season, and only played in 38 games. It’s safe to say that Denver missed his defensive presence and leadership, but the team managed to only miss the playoffs by one game, staying competitive without a key piece.

More from Nuggets News

• Was trading Bones Hyland a mistake for the Denver Nuggets?
• Did Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets break Anthony Davis?
• Denver Nuggets stars face serious disrespect in recent NBA rankings poll
• What will it take for Denver Nuggets star to become ‘inevitable?’
• Denver Nuggets NBA Training Camp report, other preseason dates to know

Millsap averaged 14.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game in 2017 while shooting 46% from the field and 35% from three point range. Those are solid numbers, but people started to wonder whether he was playing up to his $30 million dollar salary.

Millsap has immense value as a veteran leader, and he is still a decent defensive presence. However, the 2018 season has been a disaster for Millsap.

In five games this season, Millsap has averaged 10.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in 27 minutes per game. He also is averaging 1.4 blocks and 1.2 steals a game, showing that defensive value.

However, Millsap is only shooting 37% from the field, a far cry from his 49% career average. Furthermore, he’s shooting an abysmal 13% from three point range, which is very far off from his 33% career average and just terrible overall.

He has also been a shell of his usual defensive sound self. He constantly looks a step slow, and in the Nuggets first loss of the season, the Los Angles Lakers figured out that Millsap was a weak point and constantly isolate players against him, including LeBron James on the final meaningful possession of the game.

James isolated Millsap, ran the clock down, and then blew by him, scoring an easy layup and putting Denver away for good.

For a player making $30 million dollars, Millsap needs to perform at a much higher level. He is expected to be a solid contributor on both sides of the ball, and although backup power forward Trey Lyles has had a rough start to his campaign as well, at this point he looks like the better option than Millsap.

The season is still extremely young, so there is plenty of time for Millsap to improve. He’s a veteran player who’s been through grueling NBA seasons before, so it’s more likely than not that Millsap will get better and contribute much more.

However, Millsap has a $30 million team option next season, and if he keeps up this poor play, he might not be back with the team next year. He could also cede minutes to Lyles and Juan Hernangomez.

All in all, Millsap has had a rough start to the 2018 season, and he might be better with a reduced role and less minutes.

However, the Nuggets signed him to be a star for a reason, and although he’s getting older, he should have enough left in the tank to improve his play. If he doesn’t, both he and the Nuggets could be in trouble.