Utah Jazz: Why Paul Millsap Deserves to Go to NBA All-Star Game

The NBA All-Star Game has earned a reputation over the years of more closely resembling a contest on the AND1 Mixtape Tour than a midseason NBA game—a reputation that most feel is justified.  They give zero effort on the defensive end and run nothing remotely resembling an offense, unless there is an offense I’m not familiar with that’s called the “Take Turns Making Ridiculous Shots and Highlight-Reel Dunks” offense. 

It’s fun, it’s flashy, and it’s entertaining, but it’s not usually terribly competitive.

Perhaps this is why the push for Paul Millsap to be a 2012 NBA All-Star is confined to the 801 area code and Utah Jazz message boards.  Millsap is none of those things.  He’s quiet, good-natured, humble and as hard a worker as the NBA will ever see. 

While he’s certainly capable of flashy plays, he’s never flashy just for the sake of being flashy.  His impressive guard skills, demonstrative swats, perpetually revved-up motor and sweet shooting are only flashy when being so is the best decision possible.  Despite the unlikelihood of Millsap’s style of play boosting the All-Star Game’s ratings, the Louisiana Tech alum is more than deserving of a spot on the Western Conference team. 

Though Millsap’s offensive game was respectable when the Utah Jazz selected him with the 47th overall pick in the 2006 NBA draft, they did so—as they told those of us in attendance at the EnergySolutions Arena for the annual Jazz draft party—primarily due to Millsap’s rebounding prowess.  In addition to still being a good rebounder despite being undersized, Millsap has dramatically expanded his offensive arsenal, making him a matchup nightmare for a defender of any size.  His handles and deceptive quickness can make any bigger man look foolish as Millsap crosses them up or just blows right by them.  He’s equally impressive facing a defender or with his back to the basket.  He also commands respect from 15 to 20 feet out thanks to an increasingly reliable jumper. 

The equation to stopping Paul Millsap is not an easy one. 

It’s not just his skill set or his effort that has Millsap overqualified for an All-Star roster spot.  His 2011-12 stats, especially of late, argue quite convincingly in favor of a trip to Orlando for Millsap.  His impressive stat line of 17 points per game, nine rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.7 steals are that much more impressive when you consider Millsap started the season coming off the bench.   In the second half of the season thus far (games 10-18,) Millsap’s numbers are even more impressive with 21.3 points per game, 10.3 boards, 2.1 assists and 1.7 steals, which are near, roughly equal to, or above those of other Western Conference All-Star considerations at his position, such as Kevin Love and Lamarcus Aldridge. 

Advanced stats further bolster Millsap’s worthiness for an All-Star selection.  Millsap ranks fourth in the NBA with a wildly impressive 25.75 PER rating. 

The PER rating system, created by John Hollinger, measures the efficiency of a player during his time on the court.  This system is useful in that it highlights which players’ stats may be artificially inflated due to an excessive number of shots or significantly more minutes than other comparable players.  Love averages about eight more minutes per game than Millsap, while Aldridge averages about five more minutes per game, yet Millsap ranks above both of them in Hollinger’s PER rankings.  Millsap also ranks above guaranteed All-Stars Dwight Howard, Derrick Rose, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade and Blake Griffin. 

Admittedly, the PER rankings shouldn’t be the only determining factor in the validity of a player’s claim to an All-Star roster spot.  If they were, Gustavo Ayon and Greg Monroe would be Orlando-bound.  But combining Millsap’s impressive stats with his fantastic advanced stats makes it clear that Millsap should absolutely be making his first All-Star appearance in a few short weeks. 

The unselfish, team-oriented style of play of the Utah Jazz combined with the small market of Salt Lake City not garnering as much of the limelight as bigger-market teams usually means the Jazz are sparsely or not at all represented in the All-Star game.  Since 2004, Utah only accounts for six All-Star selections, with only four different players (Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer, Mehmet Okur, Andrei Kirilenko) accounting for all seven selections. 

Considering none of the aforementioned players is employed with the Jazz any longer, it’s obvious Jazz fans are desperate for a team representative to make them proud in the All-Star game.  To anyone who pays attention, it’s blatantly obvious that Millsap deserves to be that representative this year.  Now, Utah fans have to hope that enough of the right people have been paying attention.