NBA Atlanta Hawks

Paul Millsap Deserves to Be 2015 NBA All-Star

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By @fanforlife1988

Paul Millsap, Atlanta Hawks

Getty Images Sport – Bart Young

With the 2015 NBA All-Star game voting already in progress, the most recent returns haven’t been kind to some of the league’s most-deserving players this season. In the Western Conference, James Harden currently sits in third among all guards, behind the likes of Kobe Bryant, who at this point, is being voted in mostly for his past accolades and popularity over anything else. In the Eastern Conference, the logjam of frontcourt players creates a difficult situation for a team like the Atlanta Hawks, who are deserving of having at least one player make the team.

The Hawks have arguably been the best team in the conference thus far with a record of 23-8, but have produced little interest among the fans voting for their favorite players. In fact, the team’s two best players, Paul Millsap and Al Horford, currently sit at 13th and 14th, respectively, in voting among all forwards. But with Millsap having a career year, look for the nine-year forward to be one of the first players selected as a reserve by the coaches, and here’s why.

In just his second year with the Hawks, Millsap’s hard-nosed style of play has influenced his teammates and the team as a whole. When Horford went down with a season-ending injury last year, Millsap picked up the slack, helping lead the Hawks to the playoffs, and in the process, earning himself the first All-Star appearance of his career. On a relatively inexpensive two-year deal, Millsap has proved to be one of the league’s best bargains, costing the Hawks only around $9 million a year. The Hawks will definitely have to break the bank to keep the All-Star forward in Atlanta, something they are prepared to do after Millsap’s high level of play.

Millsap is averaging 16.8 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals per-game this season. In comparison to the rest of the league, Millsap is around the top 20 in rebounding, and sixth overall in steals, which is tops amongst all power forwards. Millsap is also third amongst all power forwards in assists, which is a result of the great ball movement within the Hawks’ offense. As a scorer, Millsap ranks sixth among all power forwards, backed up by an excellent 48% average from the field.

To combat being a bit undersized as a power forward, Millsap, who’s 6-foot-8, has been a tenacious defender throughout his career, using a high level of effort as his greatest attribute night in and night out. As the team’s second-leading scorer behind Jeff Teague, Millsap has played in all of the team’s games this season, and is the driving force behind the team’s red-hot start, with his gritty style of play leading the way. With the return of Horford this season, Millsap was able to not have to take a backseat to the Hawks’ leader, but rather, he’s improved himself to be a part of one of the very best all-around big men duos in the league.

Competition is going to be fierce for those frontcourt All-Star spots. Ahead of Millsap in voting, includes a plethora of superstars, stat-machines and future Hall of Famers. LeBron James, Pau Gasol and Carmelo Anthony all seem to be likely voted into the starting lineup. Coaches will also look at Chris Bosh and Kevin Love as viable frontcourt reserves. Players like Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, who are also ahead of Millsap in voting, are not likely to be selected as reserves. Millsap is averaging numbers comparable to last season’s All-Star campaign, but is now doing so on a much better, and overall more relevant team. This bodes for very well his chances to be selected as a reserve, as teams with top records tend to be favored when it comes to the coaches’ selections.

The Hawks have shown little-to-no signs of slowing down, and will be represented with at least one All-Star this season. As one of only two teams to make the NBA Playoffs in each of the past seven seasons, the Hawks are proving that they belong atop the East. And similar to how the Hawks have found their way to the top of conference, Millsap will do the same when he finds himself as part of the 2015 All-Star game – proving once again that hard work can payoff in the long run.

Zach Fetaru is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @fanforlife1988 ”like him” on Facebook and add him to your network on Google.

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