Denver Nuggets: Thank you Paul Millsap

Paul Millsap, a Colorado native, came to the Denver Nuggets after making multiple All-Star teams and deep playoff pushes with the Atlanta Hawks. He brought a sense of professionalism and belief to a Nuggets team that was still young and on the rise.

He recently signed with the Brooklyn Nets after weeks of deciding according to Shams Charania, The Athletic, but his impact on the Denver Nuggets franchise deserves a huge thank you.

When Millsap came in 2017, the team was very much in its rebuilding phase but had found some streaks of gold. Nikola Jokic had just become the permanent starter as Michael Malone finally played him ahead of Jusuf Nurkic before a mid-season trade brought back Mason Plumlee.

In Millsap’s first season with the Denver Nuggets, the team won 46 games and finished ninth in a stacked Western Conference, losing a winner-goes-in game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on game 82.

That first season, Paul only played in 38 games as injuries kept him sidelined. When he did touch the court, he averaged 14.6 points a night while pairing perfectly next to Jokic. As a defense-first forward with the ability to stretch out behind the 3-point line, he complimented the Serbian’s skill set perfectly – giving Jokic room to operate down low on offense while also ceding some of the big man defensive responsibilities.

It worked both ways however, the two-man tandem of Jokic and Millsap outscored opponents by 8.4 points per 100 possessions in over 800 total minutes that season. The two-man combination also saw the rest of the team shoot better from the floor, grab more rebounds, and foul less. It only got better as time went along.

The following season, the Denver Nuggets bounced back from an embarrassing game-82 loss and finished second in the West with 54 wins. A win count that’s likely impossible without Millsap returning to the court, playing in 70 games that season.

Yes, Jokic’s ascension and Jamal Murray’s coming of age will get the headlines there, but a stable, steady Paul Millsap goes a long way in the Nuggets pushing the West’s contenders in the win tally.

On a more personal note, my favorite Millsap moment was in the NBA Bubble (Vote 4 Millsap era), down 16 points against the LA Clippers. Paul got tangled up with the ever-tangle-able Marcus Morris and it kick-started something in the Nuggets.

Denver finished that game on a 71-49 run with some incredible individual and team play. We all know the rest, the second 3-1 deficit was overcome and the Denver Nuggets made the Western Conference Finals.

Since then, Millsap’s role has slowly shrunk and his starting role was taken by Aaron Gordon after the mid-season deal in 2020-21. While it’s not a tough call, one is much younger than the other, it’s an understandable ending for the 36-year-old.

His role in Brooklyn will be similar to that in Denver this past season and his defensive versatility should unlock some interesting lineups for the Nets. In my opinion, he’s more versatile than Blake Griffin on that end and could even close games for them.

Paul Millsap’s steady, veteran presence will be missed and as the Nuggets move into title contention in the coming years, it should be remembered who saw the potential in this young team all those years ago, joining before they ever made the playoffs.

While he won’t be wearing a Mile High Basketball jersey, I’m sure every Denver fan is rooting for Paul Millsap in Brooklyn. As they should.