How Paul Millsap is bouncing back

Paul Millsap of the Denver Nuggets had a down year last season after missing 44 games. This year, he is bouncing back.

Paul Millsap of the Denver Nuggets was brought in to help with the Nuggets’ defensive woes.

Last season, we did not get a glimpse of what the defense could be with Millsap in the lineup on a consistent basis. This season, Denver’s defense is much better and Millsap has a lot to do with this improvement.

So far this year, the Nuggets’ have a defensive rating of 101.8 which is ranked 2nd in the league behind the Boston Celtics.

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This is a major jump from last season when they were ranked 23rd in terms of defensive rating with a rating of 109.9. Paul Millsap may not be bouncing back on the offensive end of the floor, but his defensive efficiency is on a whole new level.

So far, he is averaging a defensive rating of 101 to go along with a block average of 1.2 per game. He is also averaging a defensive box plus/minus of +3.2 which is his best average in this department since the 2014-15 season where he was a major anchor and the number one option for the Atlanta Hawks team which won 60 regular season games.

He also currently possesses a defensive rebound percentage of 20.6%. He has only allowed his match up to score 10 points or more on 3 occasions this year. This was against Nikola Mirotic, Kyle Kuzma and LeBron James, 3 very potent scorers to say the least.

His defensive awareness has also aided Nikola Jokic as well. Jokic is having a career year defensively as he is averaging a career best defensive rating of 100 and a defensive box plus/minus of +5.2.

Paul Millsap has a lot to do with it and it is time we start recognizing how effective of a defender and veteran leader he is for the Denver Nuggets.