Paul Millsap Can Serve As Cautionary Tale For Jazz Rebuild
Dec 3, 2024, 4:01 PM | Updated: Dec 4, 2024, 2:05 pm
SALT LAKE CITY – Paul Millsap announced his retirement on Tuesday, and his story should serve as a cautionary tale for the Utah Jazz.
Millsap spent the first seven years of his career in Utah, and despite consistent production, the Jazz opted to move off the forward in favor of younger players with perceived higher potential.
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After being selected in the second round of the 2006 NBA Draft, Millsap averaged 12.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks in 540 appearances, including four trips to the playoffs.
Over his final three seasons with the Jazz, his averages climbed to 16.1 points and 7.8 rebounds, while adding 1.5 steals per game as a full-time starter.
Former @utahjazz forward Paul Millsap who left the team before making four All-Star appearances announced his retirement on Tuesday. #takenote https://t.co/IwncfIiSD7
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) December 3, 2024
But in the post-Deron Williams era of the organization, the Jazz faced a crossroads – should they continue to play Millsap, or hand the keys to the rebuilding franchise over to young big men Derrick Favors and Enes Freedom (nee Kanter)?
The Jazz chose the latter, and it would go on to haunt them.
In 2013, Millsap signed with Atlanta on a paltry two-year, $19 million contract where his career took off, making four consecutive All-Star teams as a member of the Hawks.
Favors assumed much of Millsap’s production in Utah, but never matched the same success the former Jazzman found in Atlanta. Freedom, meanwhile, asked to be traded within two seasons.
The Jazz currently face a similar conundrum with guard Collin Sexton.
Like Millsap, Sexton, age 26, is older than the main pieces in the Jazz’s current rebuild.
Despite the imperfect timeline, Sexton’s production is unquestionable, as is his heart.
Both Millsap and Sexton are renowned for their competitiveness, regardless of the circumstances around them.
need a closer angle of this *ɪᴍᴍᴇᴅɪᴀᴛᴇʟʏ*#TakeNote | @collinsexton02 pic.twitter.com/4akXBcMPt7
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) December 2, 2024
And yet, when discussing the future of the organization, Sexton is routinely overlooked in favor of the Jazz’s younger prospects.
Keyonte George might one day be as good as this version of Collin Sexton. If everything comes together in his development, he may even be better.
The same could be said about whichever player the Jazz select in this year’s draft, assuming the team lands another top-ten pick.
But might is a dangerous game to play in the NBA, especially when talking about development versus proven production.
And, who’s to say that Sexton might not have even more to offer the Jazz with added responsibility on the team?
The Jazz value Sexton, and by all accounts, haven’t overlooked him as a potential long-term asset for the organization.
With a youth movement fully underway, they should be cautious not to repeat the mistakes of the past, and let the next Millsap slip through their fingers.
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Ben Anderson is the Utah Jazz insider for KSL Sports and the co-host of Jake and Ben from 10-12p with Jake Scott on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone. Find Ben on Twitter at @BensHoops or on Instagram @BensHoops.
