Atlanta Hawks: Why Paul Millsap Is Team's Go-To Scorer

You know that saying that goes something like, “It takes stars to win playoff basketball games”?

Well, the Atlanta Hawks haven’t taken that sentiment very seriously, at least in the public’s eyes.

However, the Hawks do have a star player that can be a go-to scorer for the team down the stretch, and his name is Paul Millsap.

The Atlanta forward has been in back-to-back All-Star games after having not made any as a member of the Utah Jazz, and for good reason.

In his last two seasons, Millsap has transformed into an inside-outside threat that demands attention from the defense no matter where he is on the floor.

Season	MP	FG	FGA	FG%	3P	3PA	3P%	FT	FTA	FT%	ORB	DRB	TRB	AST	STL	BLK	TOV	PF	PTS
2013-14 ★	33.5	6.5	14.1	.461	1.0	2.9	.358	3.9	5.3	.731	2.1	6.4	8.5	3.1	1.7	1.1	2.5	2.8	17.9
2014-15 ★	32.7	6.1	12.7	.476	1.1	3.0	.356	3.5	4.6	.757	1.9	5.9	7.8	3.1	1.8	0.9	2.3	2.8	16.7
Career	28.7	5.2	10.3	.503	0.3	0.8	.340	2.9	3.9	.728	2.3	4.9	7.3	2.0	1.3	1.0	1.7	3.2	13.5

7 seasons	27.4	4.9	9.4	.516	0.1	0.2	.274	2.6	3.7	.723	2.4	4.6	7.0	1.8	1.1	1.0	1.5	3.3	12.4
2 seasons	33.1	6.3	13.4	.468	1.0	2.9	.357	3.7	5.0	.743	2.0	6.1	8.1	3.1	1.8	1.0	2.4	2.8	17.3

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 4/27/2015.

As you can see in the table above, Millsap’s statistics are up across the board in his two seasons with the Hawks compared to the rest of his career.

One reason he’s been able to be on the floor longer with the Hawks and get more shot attempts is because of his improved three-point shooting.

In Utah, Millsap wasn’t utilized the same way he is by head coach Mike Budenholzer with the Hawks. Millsap is used in a lot of packages as a pick-and-pop forward as opposed to just staying down low waiting for a post-up opportunity.

Take a look in this video at how many times Millsap either is set-up on the perimeter or goes there off of a read of the defense, and look how effective he is. Against the Brooklyn Nets in an important Game 2 in their playoff series, Millsap got four good looks from three and drilled all of them, which is impressive even for him considering his 34 percent career three-point mark.

Speaking of reading the defense, Millsap has simply gotten more intelligent at playing the game of basketball with age. Playing with Budenholzer has helped with that as well because his offense is predicated on creating space and moving the basketball to find the open man, not necessarily the open shot.

In this video that showcases the highlights from the Hawks’ first playoff game in their current series against the Nets, notice quick and often the ball moves in Atlanta’s offensive sets. Fast forward to 2:21 in the video to see what I’m talking about.

As Al Horford fires the pass up the court to Jeff Teague, Teague makes a quick pass to Kyle Korver for the open three, but instead of taking the jump shot he makes the extra pass and finds DeMarre Carroll underneath the basket for the easy two. Four Hawks players touched the ball in that little amount of time, which is remarkable.

So how has this style of offense helped Millsap? It’s certainly made him more versatile overall as an offensive weapon.

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Since Millsap has expanded his range out to the mid-range and even beyond the three-point line, it’s allowed him to get more time playing from the elbow and having the offense run through him more. This has helped his growth as a passer because he has been asked to make more of those reads by coach Bud.

By default, Millsap averaged a career-high 3.3 assists this past regular season, but that wasn’t all because of the system. Millsap himself has really began to feel more comfortable playing in that area on the floor, both from a passing perspective and a scoring perspective.

In the previous video, skip to about 3:37 to get a look at Millsap playing the elbow. Notice how he has great position in the triple-threat that could allow him to drive, shoot or pass the ball. Millsap has become a better ball-handler and driver over the years, which is great when he’s playing at the elbow because it forces the defense to respect all three modes of the triple-threat stance, giving Millsap a greater advantage over fooling the defense. Millsap makes his move and cuts to the basket for the easy score, made possible because of his improved skills passing the ball as well as shooting it.

Millsap has always been great at posting his man and scoring over either shoulder, as he has a nice variety of moves down low. However, now that he’s become better from the outside, his value as an offensive player has increased exponentially, especially for a team that likes to have options on offense like the Hawks.

No player on the Hawks’ roster can do as many things on the floor as Millsap can. He knows where to operate in order to be the most effective, both for himself and the team. He’s a heady player who knows how to move the ball and score inside and out, making him the perfect weapon for Atlanta to utilize in the playoffs and beyond.

If Atlanta is smart, they will keep getting him more shot attempts in the postseason because he is their best shot in terms of getting a good look late in a tight contest. If they can keep feeding Millsap throughout these games and keep him hot, then he could be a scary threat against anyone trying to close out a playoff game.

Next: Three Keys To Closing Out Brooklyn

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Why Paul Millsap Is Atlanta Hawks’ Go-To Scorer

By Nathan Grubel | Apr 27, 2015

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