Valley of the Suns
Fansided

Signing Paul Millsap isn’t that bad of an idea

By Adam Maynes

Apr 24, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap (4) signs autographs before a game against the Washington Wizards in game four of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 24, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap (4) signs autographs before a game against the Washington Wizards in game four of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 5, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) and Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap (4) collide as they go for the ball during the second half at Philips Arena. The Hawks defeated the Suns 103-90. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 5, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) and Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap (4) collide as they go for the ball during the second half at Philips Arena. The Hawks defeated the Suns 103-90. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /

Can help compete and win

A topic that I have hammered time and time again is that the Suns need to start winning to show the younger players what it is like to win in the NBA. Players like Devin Booker, T.J. Warren, Marquese Chriss, Dragan Bender, and even Alex Len, have never tasted success. They have never played in meaningful games in the end of the season (Alex Len did a little in 2013-14 though not much), and certainly have never played a playoff game. They do not know exactly what it is like to make a playoff push and the franchise would be wise to help give the younger players talented veteran to help give them that first taste.

If nothing else, Paul Millsap makes the Suns a better team next season. He helps them win games that without him they would not. They would rise up above some of the other teams in the league, and potentially could compete for second best in the Division with the apparent fall of the Los Angeles Clippers.

Millsap’s addition on the roster does not guarantee that the Phoenix Suns are a playoff team in 2018, but he does help them to make a stronger push which would be a positive impact on the developing players. I have no doubt in my mind that if the Suns are good next season, that five and ten years from now (if Devin Booker, and others are still around and the team has become consistently competitive), that those players would look back on the 2017-18 season as the start of everything, and the point when they finally learned how to win in the NBA.

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