Atlanta Hawks Year of 2016 in Review: Individual Performances

1. Paul Millsap 04/09/2016 vs. Boston Celtics

Paul has made it clear that he is not frightened to face the Celtics. In fact, he had his career best defensive performance as the Hawks rolled past Boston 118-107 in their final meeting of last year’s regular season. He finished the night with totals of 31 points, 16 rebounds, three assists, seven blocks, and two steals. He also shot 13-for-22 from the field and 5-for-7 from three-point territory.

He set what is his career high in blocks for one game with the total of seven, surpassing his previous career high of six, that he had achieved twice (most recently on 03/28/2016 vs. Bulls). Paul Millsap’s game has always been more steady than flashy, and he has proven to be a strong leader of the team.

This was a game that was vastly important for both teams, as they both had a 47-32 record and were fighting for playoff positioning. With Atlanta down by 12 late in the third quarter, Millsap helped rally the team back, hitting beautiful turn around jumpers, three-pointers, and fast-break layups. With the game tied at 91, he poked the ball away from Isaiah Thomas for a steal that started a two-on-one breakaway. When Millsap converted a layup off the backboard over the diminutive Thomas, on an assist from Schroder, it gave the Hawks their first lead since early in the game.

These type of amazing performances have become commonplace for Millsap when he has everything working for him. If Head Coach and President of Basketball Operations Mike Budenholzer is going to take this winning thing seriously, it should be in his best interest to retain Paul Millsap as an Atlanta Hawk.