NBA: Ranking 30 best power forwards for 2019-20

Paul Millsap keeps on churning along, putting together a nice bounce-back season with the Denver Nuggets in 2018-19 after missing more than half of the previous campaign with a left wrist injury.

Millsap, who will be 35 by the time this season ends, did enough last season for the Nuggets to exercise his $30.35 million option to return as the starter at the 4, even as they traded for another stretch 4 in Jerami Grant this summer.

He no longer is at the level he was at as a four-time All-Star with the Atlanta Hawks from 2013-17, but Millsap is a solid running mate for All-NBA center Nikola Jokic, averaging 12.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.2 steals in 27.1 minutes per game last season.

Millsap appeared in 70 games — his most since 2015-16 — and made 65 starts. His scoring total was the lowest he’s put up as a full-time starter and the lowest overall since he was a reserve with the Utah Jazz back in 2009-10.

But he shot 48.4 percent overall and 36.5 percent on 2.3 3-point attempts per game, enough of a stretch threat that teams have to respect him on the perimeter.

In Denver’s first postseason appearance in six years, Millsap averaged 14.6 points, 6.7 boards and 1.1 blocks in 33.5 minutes per game.

Still effective around the rim, Millsap did more of that work than he had of late, taking 34 percent of his shots in the restricted area — his highest total since 2015-16 and a huge increase over his 20 percent rate the previous season.

He converted 66.8 percent of those chances, while shooting 40.8 percent from three to 10 feet and 41.9 percent from mid-range.

Millsap could probably benefit from having the younger and springier Grant to share time with during the regular-season grind so he’s more fresh for a potentially deeper playoff run come spring.