After several years with the Atlanta Hawks, Paul Millsap decided to undergo a change of scenery this offseason. The power forward signed with the Denver Nuggets, after the Hawks reportedly never offered him a contract.
The Nuggets are an up-and-coming team that surprised many last season despite not reaching the postseason. Denver came close, however, and several of their young players impressed enough to cement themselves as future stars or impact players on good teams.
Millsap seems to have been impressed, as well, if his decision was not an indication. The veteran forward compared the Nuggets to the Hawks when he first arrived there – a young team looking to make a jump. In fact, Millsap even claimed that the Nuggets have a higher ceiling:
“Especially with the young guys that we have now, in Denver, the growth is unbelievable. The sky is the limit. I think this team can be a lot better than that team and that was a 60-win team. So I’m coming into this with high hopes.”
High hopes, indeed. Those Hawks peaked when they took the number one overall seed in the East but were unable to overcome LeBron James and the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Nuggets face an even bigger task with the Warriors looking dominant for the next few years. But Millsap’s inclusion will allow the young players to develop more quickly and give the team more options in creating a roster that can compete with the Western Conference royalty.