When the Philadelphia 76ers acquired Paul Millsap from the Brooklyn Nets in the James Harden trade, they were hoping the veteran could provide a real presence off the bench for them.
Unfortunately, the veteran in his 16th NBA season was unable to give much. He averaged just 3.7 points and 2.8 rebounds in nine games with the Sixers. He wasn’t the same player and he couldn’t give the production he used to be able to.
However, that doesn’t mean that Millsap has had an underwhelming career. In fact, the 47th pick in the 2006 NBA draft has been terrific. He has made four All-Star appearances and has been an integral part of teams that reached the conference finals three times in his career.
Bleacher Report put together a list of the top 10 most underrated players of the past decade and Millsap appeared on the list:
To call a player with that many individual honors underrated may seem like a stretch, but Millsap’s last 10 years were better than most realize.
Over that span, Millsap totaled 8,958 points, 4,435 rebounds, 1,629 assists, 825 steals, 605 blocks and 523 threes. Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen are the only other players in league history to amass those totals across any 10-year stretch, and Millsap was limited to only 140 appearances over the last three years.
Those things weren’t always flashy (although he did have some absurd dunks), but they were awfully helpful. Over the last 10 years, Millsap’s teams were plus-4.1 points per 100 possessions when he played and minus-0.4 when he didn’t.
Millsap is unsigned this offseason; teams around the league might have recognized the veteran just doesn’t have it anymore. However, he is still a respected player and there is a small chance he can get another opportunity elsewhere.
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Story originally appeared on Sixers Wire