Atlanta Hawks

Paul Millsap stumped by how much better his 3-point shooting is at home

Published May. 1, 2015 1:14 p.m. ET

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Every single player on the Atlanta Hawks this season has an argument for being the most overlooked at his position in the NBA, and Paul Millsap is no exception. As he recovered from a shoulder injury he suffered near the end of the season, the Hawks struggled; on Wednesday night, when Millsap looked to be as close to full-strength as he has been since the injury, Atlanta was able to fend off the Nets. As Millsap goes, so go the Hawks.

Part of what's made Millsap so dangerous for Atlanta is his growth as a 3-point shooter. A power forward such as Millsap who's equally comfortable banging down low or stretching a defense to its breaking point is one of the most powerful facets an offense can hope to have in the modern NBA. But there's been a bit of a quirk with Millsap's outside shooting this season.

At home, Millsap is a sharpshooter, knocking down 40 percent of his triples this season. But on the road, Millsap goes cold; he shot just over 30 percent from deep away from Atlanta this season, according to Sheridan Hoops.

Asked about the split, Millsap said, "I don't know the answer to that." And that might be more accurate than he knows. While Millsap is undoubtedly a better and more prolific 3-point shooter now than he was at the start of his career, we're still dealing with very small sample sizes. He attempted just 120 3-pointers at home this year and 96 on the road; just a few more makes on the road or a few more misses at home, which very well could be random chance, would bring his numbers much closer together.

(h/t Sheridan Hoops)

Photo Credit: Noah K. Murray/USA Today Sports