Paul Millsap is allegedly a good passer. Maybe I don’t even have to throw that scary qualifier “allegedly” in there. He is a good passer. His time in Atlanta demonstrated that to us. So why is he averaging less than two assists per game this season? Why is his season-high in assists only three? I think I know the answer:
Paul Millsap is a BUST.
That’s right. He’s not seeing a downtick in assists because his teammates on the Nuggets (especially Jokic and Murray) are taking the ball out of his hands. He’s not seeing a downtick in assists because of age (he’s 34). He’s not seeing a downtick in assists because he’s become a scoring-first player (ignore the nineteen points per 36 which is near a career high). He’s seeing a downtick in assists because he’s a big old BUST and has been a BUST since the beginning of his career.
No other conclusion could possibly be reached when you compare Millsap’s draft slot to his career production. Drafted with the 47th pick in the 2006 draft, sandwiched between notable non-busts Dee Brown and Vladimir Veremeenko, Millsap has averaged a paltry 14 PPG per game over his career and only has four All-Star appearances to his name. That’s supreme BUST territory if I’ve ever seen it. Everywhere Millsap goes, he leaves behind a trail of the disgusting, viscous Bustsauce that oozes from his appendages.
Once you acknowledge that Millsap is a gigantic BUST, you stop expecting him to do anything good and your life gets a lot easier. Trust me.