The Brooklyn Nets recently signed Paul Millsap.
Paul Millsap has agreed to a deal with the Brooklyn Nets, per @ShamsCharania pic.twitter.com/rjooWXm3cl
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 2, 2021
With this move, the Nets are beginning to look more and more like the NBA’s version of the Avengers.
Millsap, although past his prime, is still an incredible addition to the team’s roster.
He has spent 15 years in the league and has racked up a fair amount of accolades along the way.
Millsap is a four-time member of the All-Star team along with a one-time member of the All-Defensive team.
With the Nets having such a loaded roster this season, it is rather tricky trying to figure out what kind of role Millsap will have on the team.
We will break down his offensive role, defensive role, and overall place in the rotation.
Offensive Role
Millsap will by no means be carrying the Nets offense.
With elite scorers in Kyrie Irving, James Harden, and Kevin Durant already on the roster, Millsap will not be one of the top options on offense.
However, he will be utilized in small-ball lineups.
The goal of the Nets offense is to move quickly and score a lot.
Their defense is not particularly strong and as a result of this, they resort to simply winning shootouts against their opposition.
Millsap will do a great job of stretching the floor and keeping the defense honest.
With his athleticism and ability to shoot the ball from deep, he will cause a lot of matchup issues against teams that play a traditional center.
This is something that will greatly work in Brooklyn’s favor.
Millsap will likely average around double-digit points per game but fans should not expect him to be lighting up the box score by any means on the offensive end.
Defensive Role
Millsap’s true value will come on the defensive end.
His versatility on defense allows him to guard almost every position on the floor.
Although he struggles against quicker guards, Millsap can guard almost any small forward, power forward, or center in the league.
I hope y’all realize how GREAT of a pickup Paul Millsap was. He is an excellent defender, and players like AD/Giannis/LeBron always struggle shooting the ball when guarded by Millsap. He adds more great defense to our team, which isn’t even a bad defensive team now.. pic.twitter.com/BdiUvDUcF2
— Cameron Stone (@cameronstone45) September 3, 2021
This allows head coach Steve Nash to be very creative with the lineups that he puts on the floor this season.
Despite not being in his peak in terms of defensive ability, Millsap was once an All-Defensive level player and is still a very talented defender.
With the Nets being atrocious on the defensive end, Millsap will be a solid start to getting to where they need to be on this side of the ball.
Place In the Rotation
It will be very interesting to see where Millsap fits into the rotation.
There are multiple ways that Nash and the rest of his coaching staff could go with the talent on this roster.
Most likely, Millsap will be coming off of the bench and could potentially work his way into the starting five if everything goes right for him.
However, his role will probably be coming off of the bench and providing the Nets with a boost in scoring from the second unit, and an uptick in the defensive effort.
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