Nuggets teammates sometimes refer to their veteran center as “Grandpa Paul” with 35-year-old Paul Millsap taking the jokes in stride. Because with age comes wisdom, and when Millsap speaks, the team listens.
Just like at Wednesday’s practice, with Denver rolling after consecutive wins, when Millsap addressed the group to discuss something bigger than basketball. The nation’s social unrest has once again peaked after no charges were filed in the Kenosha, Wisc., police shooting that left Jacob Blake paralyzed and election result protests turned into a riot at the U.S. Capitol.
Millsap, in his 15th NBA season, wants the Nuggets to play a role in healing societal divisions to create a better future.
“Paul Millsap spoke up today and he talked about making sure we all continue to find ways to use our voice and our platform to affect change in a positive manner,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “That’s all we can do; educate ourselves, be aware, and try to affect change in a positive light. If we do that, we’re contributing to something bigger than ourselves.”
Millsap admitted to reporters that it has been difficult to remain focused on basketball in recent days, especially after losing a grandfather to COVID-19, he said. Millsap, after four seasons playing for the Hawks, also played close attention to the hotly contested Georgia Senate runoff elections. Millsap opened his Atlanta-area gym/training center — CORE4 — as a community voting center.
“I get filled in on the numbers and the people that come through there,” Millsap said. “I’m very pleased and very grateful to be able to do something like that. It’s definitely a great thing, and hopefully, it leads to something greater.”
It’s one example for teammates to follow as the NBA and Nuggets move forward in their collective push to unite on social issues unrelated to hoops.
“We’re in a situation right now where we’re fighting for change and we’re fighting for justice,” Millsap said. “We’re trying to bring the awareness out there and we want to get more people to understand what’s going on, how it’s affecting our communities, and how it’s affecting the world and America. It was important for me to share that with these guys. Let them know that their voices are heard out there.
“Each of these guys has got a lot of fans, and a lot of people who follow them. If we use their following and put the word and the message out there, we feel like we can make this thing happen a little bit faster than the way it’s going right now.”
Millsap has been effective through the Nuggets’ first seven games shooting 58% from the field (47% from behind the arc) while averaging 3.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists entering Thursday night’s TNT showcase against the Dallas Mavericks. Millsap signed a 1-year, $10-million contract with the Nuggets back in November.
Now, after beating the Timberwolves in consecutive games, Millsap believes Denver is trending toward becoming a defensive-led unit in position to contend for a championship.
“I see (improvement),” Millsap said. “As a society, we look for instant gratification. We’re looking to go from (being ranked) 29 to 1 overnight, and that’s not possible unless we hold somebody to 10 points. Incremental improvement is what it’s all about. We just want to see ourselves getting better. If we continue to do the right things, we feel like our defense will get a lot better.”
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