Sixers

The Sixers Got Their Asses Kicked, but at Least We Saw Paul Millsap’s Debut

By Kevin Kinkead

Published: Feb 16th, 2022 · 9:41 AM EST

---

The Sixers were demolished 135 to 87 by the Boston Celtics on Tuesday. They succeeded doing two things in this game – jack and shit, and jack left town.

But let’s not focus on that. Let’s focus on Paul Millsap, who made his debut following the Brooklyn trade. He got nine second half minutes and went for nine points, three rebounds, and an assist, working against Boston’s second unit. That’s not bad for a guy who had only played once previously in the 2022 calendar year, which was January 13th in a Nets home loss to Oklahoma City.

Here’s a clip of his six shot attempts on Tuesday night (sorry, I don’t know what’s up with the audio, I recorded this before coffee) –

Paul Millsap in his Sixers debut:

nine points (3-6 from the floor, 2-2 from three), three rebounds, one assist, working against Boston backups in garbage time pic.twitter.com/VkR5VUd2yZ

— Kevin Kinkead (@Kevin_Kinkead) February 16, 2022

Nothing crazy in garbage time there, but those three pointers looked smooth. He’s a career 34.2% three point shooter and if he can stretch the floor the Sixers can play small ball five as a second unit, which gives them some flexibility.

“I felt great,” Millsap said after the game. “Felt good to be on the court playing basketball. A little disappointing under the circumstances, but it felt great to get back out there. One thing that I wasn’t expecting was definitely on the defensive end. I had few guys blow by me. Missed a couple assignments. So I was a little slow on that, but that’s gonna come.”

Yes, he is correct. That will come. When you haven’t played in more than a month, with a two week gap prior to that, you’re gonna be rusty.

“Tonight for me was just really learning,” he added. “Trying to get a feel for the guys. Get a feel for the game plan and everything that goes with it. So, it’s still a whirlwind right now, trying to figure all that out. But, it’s gonna come and wherever I see fit, to where I can get in and help this team, that’s what I’m gonna do.”

Backup center is a legit question to ponder. Andre Drummond was stable there, maybe the best option they’ve had behind Joel Embiid, ever. You’d certainly take Drummond over Amir Johnson, Greg Monroe, Boban, or the younger guys who spotted him 4-5 years ago. There’s no clear indication that Millsap can be the guy, but he’s a veteran with a ton of experience who can shoot a bit, so if they can stumble into a smaller second unit that clicks, that’ll be a nice bonus stemming from the James Harden trade.

“He’s not been playing,” said Doc Rivers of Millsap. “So, he’s been working out every day. And he’s been playing pickup games in Atlanta. But this is NBA basketball, and he will add some toughness to us, there’s no doubt about that. He’ll be able to step out and make threes for us at the five spot. And that will be something we’ll work on.”