New York Knicks: 3 veteran free agents to keep an eye on in the bubble
By Chip Murphy
3. Paul Millsap
We love using the adjective underrated when describing players. Carmelo Anthony fans even use the term to describe a future Hall of Famer. Paul Millsap is truly underrated.
Millsap averaged 17.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game during his four All-Star seasons with the Atlanta Hawks before signing a three-year, $90 million contract with the Denver Nuggets. Millsap, 35, is no longer the scorer he once was, but he’s still a terrific defender who’s enjoying the best shooting season of his career.
It’s going to be hard for the Knicks to pry Millsap away from Denver as he’s been vital to their success. According to Cleaning the Glass, the Nuggets are allowing 8.5 points per 100 possessions fewer with Millsap on the court. Millsap is also first on the team in efficiency differential.
Denver allows 104.1 points per 100 possessions with Millsap on the court. For context, if they played that way all the time, Denver would have the second-best defensive rating in the NBA behind only the Milwaukee Bucks.
Despite being only 6’7”, Millsap is an especially good defender in the post. The kind of defensive versatility and awareness that Millsap brings is something that every team needs, but a young team like the Knicks could use a guy like Millsap.
There are some red flags. Millsap is clearly showing signs of his age since arriving in Denver with his minutes per game average trending down each year. This season, Millsap’s missed 21 games, and he’s played the fewest minutes per game since his sophomore season.
Millsap hasn’t made enough 3-pointers to be eligible for the official NBA leaderboard, but his 44.0 percent mark from beyond the arc on 2.5 attempts per game is still impressive. According to NBA stats, he shot an even better 48.5 percent (32-66) when he was wide open (when no defender within six feet of the shooter).
One thing I noticed was how comfortable Millsap was shooting the 3-pointer in transition. For someone who doesn’t take a lot of threes, Millsap is not bashful. He’s taken and made some big triples this season.
Taj Gibson was the locker room guy this season. If the Knicks were able to sign Millsap, it would be a seamless transition between two proven veteran winners.