Despite leaving Louisiana Tech after
leading the NCAA Division I in
rebounding for the third straight
year, Paul Millsap was severely
under hyped and slipped to the
middle of the second round of the
NBA draft. He was billed as
“undersized” to play the power
forward position in the NBA. One
year later the prospect of his
career looks larger then life.
Millsap worked hard, and in a system
where rookies rarely see any game
time, Millsap not only got to play,
but became a regular in the
rotation. His good fortune in part
due to his uncanny ability to
rebound. Millsap has explained this
ability as simply as the fact that
he expects every shot to be missed,
and so he goes after it. Millsap’s
work ethic and abilities were not
lost on his teammates as they dubbed
him “the paperboy.” The nickname in
part paying homage to Karl Malone,
the man whose shadow Millsap has
been under for many years.
Officially, depending upon how you
look at it, Millsap is just
beginning his second year as a pro.
Last year in the Summer League,
Millsap stood out. This year he
dominated, earning the Rocky
Mountain Revue MVP and unofficially
being talked about as the most
impressive player in any summer
league. He is more comfortable as a
pro, he is getting better.
One thing that stood out this year
was his shot. Millsap converted
close to the basket as fans have
come to expect, but he also hit mid
range jumpers with confidence and
ease. Fall aways and off balance
shots, they were all going in. He
even took a 3 pointer to tie a game
in the final seconds, hitting
nothing but the bottom of the net.
“What’s up with your shot?” I asked
him, “Everything’s going in!”
“It’s been in me.” He assures me,
“coach has been trying to get out of
me. I am just trying to be more
aggressive.”
“Aggressive?” I am a bit surprised
by that description, “you say
aggressive but that shot has got a
soft touch.”
“I have been working on it for a
long time. I went out to Reno, I
have a shooting coach there. I am
just trying to get better every
day.” The way he talks, you know it
is in him.
Still I try to test his confidences.
I ask him if Revue teammate and
brother John Millsap taught Paul how
to knock down a three in the closing
minutes of the game. “John?” Paul
looks over his shoulder to make sure
his brother is following the
conversation. “No I don’t think John
is a three point shooter. He is more
of a mid range guy.” Pausing he
brings his attention back to my tape
recorder and adds. “I am a better
three point shooter then he is.”
I decide to take his word for it,
and it’s probably best I do. I ask
him about his summer plans and think
I stumble on to his conditioning
secret. “I am going to go back to
Reno. Work on my conditioning. I
have been out there boxing and stuff
like that to work on my form and
conditioning.”
Boxing? I am impressed. Boxing
requires stamina, coordination,
speed, and strength. It’s a
resilient activity and Millsap is
absorbing everything. It all makes
sense. Paul Millsap is not just
trying to get better, he is fighting
to get better. He is fighting to
make his team better. He is poised
and training like a champion. “When
I go out there it’s all about
business,” Paul assures me, “I am
just trying to take care of business
and get better.”
You can call Paul Millsap “the
paperboy.” I am going to start
calling him “The Contender.” That’s
what he is. He is a fighter.
Fighting his way to the top.
Fighting to be the best he can be.
He is fighting to be a champion.
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