Soaring Down South
Fansided

Top 5 Power Forwards in Atlanta Hawks History

By Tom Atkinson

facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 6
Next
March 1, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap (4) dribbles the basketball against Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) during the fourth quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Hawks 109-105 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
March 1, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap (4) dribbles the basketball against Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) during the fourth quarter at Oracle Arena. The Warriors defeated the Hawks 109-105 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Paul Millsap

Years Spent with Team: 2013-present.

Statistics (per game with the Hawks): 17.2 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.3 steals.

Shooting Percentages with Atlanta: .469/.344/.748.

Quality over quantity.

Putting Paul Millsap at fourth was difficult, considering he has only been with the Atlanta Hawks for three seasons. And yet, at the same time, that short tenure is the only reason he is not higher. He arrived for the 2013-14 season and has been an All-Star ever year since as the team surged. Millsap was integral to Atlanta’s record-breaking 2014-15 season and earned a place as one of the Hawks’ starting five in winning the January 2015 player(s) of the month award.

More from Soaring Down South

Millsap’s arrival helped not only the roster, with his complete and outstanding skill set, but also breathed new life into a franchise that often struggled to keep its fan-base interested. The big man from Louisiana put Atlanta into the upper echelons of the league with that franchise-best sixty-win season.

Let’s look at just how good the power forward has been in his time with the Hawks. Millsap ranks in the top-three in steals per game with the franchise and is ninth in blocks per game. Furthermore, he is fifth in career PER with 20.4 and is top-eight in both Defensive Rating and Win Shares Per 48 Minutes. Still not convinced? Millsap is also second in Box Plus/Minus and sixth in its defensive equivalent. Consistently underrated and with an impact greater than his stats might suggest, Millsap is already one of the greatest Hawks to ever play at the four, partly because of the success he has helped bring to the ATL.

If Millsap stays with Atlanta beyond this season,  he could become one of the franchise’s best ever players.

Next: No. 3