It’s easy to forget that James Harden and Ben Simmons included more than just those two star players. The Brooklyn Nets also received Seth Curry, Andre Drummond, and two future first round picks, while the Philadelphia 76ers got veteran power forward Paul Millsap in addition to Harden.
Millsap at 37-years-old isn’t the former four-time he once was. He looked washed with the Nets earlier this season and barely played for Brooklyn as a result. With the Nets, Millsap averaged 3.4 points and 3.7 rebounds, while making 37.6 percent of his field goals.
Yet, in the two games that Millsap has played in for Philly, he hasn’t looked bad. He’s averaged 6.5 points and 3.5 rebounds, while converting 50.0 percent from the floor. He can contribute for the Sixers, but being the full-time backup center isn’t the right role for him.
Millsap shouldn’t be the primary backup center for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Millsap made his money in the NBA by being a two-way power forward. In his prime, he was a great pick-and-roll big who can rebound and body up any opposing forward on the defensive end. He showed he can still do things in small flashes in Philly, but doing at the center spot isn’t the best thing for the 76ers.
I’ve already written about potential buyout candidates that the 76ers should look at the center position and I still hold to the view they need to explore those options or potentially others. One of the reasons why is due to the fact Millsap isn’t built to be a full-time backup moving forward.
Age is clearly a factor, especially as he continues to play more and more games. There’s a real chance he could were down if used too much. However, the bigger issue is his size and lack of athleticism. Millsap is 6-foot-7 and has lost a fair amount of athleticism due to his age.
When he was three-four years younger then yes, he could pull off being a full-time small-ball five. He still had a lot of his athleticism that made him a former All-Star. If he’s going to be undersized at the five spot, then athleticism and 3-point shooting are important skills. He can still shoot the ball, but the athleticism is gone and he can be taken advantage of in certain matchups.
Millsap could be a small-ball five option for the Philadelphia 76ers in certain situations, but he isn’t the answer for the primary backup for Joel Embiid heading into the playoffs.