Denver Nuggets: Pros and cons of keeping Paul Millsap

Pros

His experience can’t be ignored. He’s played in 101 playoff games in his career. Among the nine rotation players from this last playoff run, only two of them had been there before besides Millsap. Those players were Will Barton and Mason Plumlee. Millsap’s experience has a calming presence on the team during big moments, and they won’t have anyone to fill that role if he were to leave this offseason.

His post defense is the best on the team. During the series against the San Antonio Spurs, he was regularly tasked with matching up with LaMarcus Aldridge. Aldridge had a good series, but there were many instances where Millsap was able to limit his scoring punch. He was tied for second on the team in defensive win shares, and he was second on the team in steals. What he lacks in the offense, he makes up for on the defensive end of the floor.

His rebounding numbers weren’t the best on the team, but per 36 minutes, he was pretty good at 9.6 boards per 36. His defensive rebound percentage was third on the team. Millsap has always been a bit undersized as a power forward, as he’s only 6’8″, but he knows how to position himself and get the team more opportunities to score. He always works hard and makes the Nuggets better when he’s on the floor.