After listening to Millsap’s analysis, Carlisle was very satisfied. This second-year player of a mature age really had a talent for playmaking, and then he felt full of resentment towards Mike Whitt, the head coach of the Louisiana Tech University Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs deserved to be crushed by the LSU Tigers!
With such a great talent for a playmaking big man, to be used as a blue-collar player in college!
Not just that, Carlisle had something else he felt even more resentful about.
After discovering Millsap’s talent for playmaking, Carlisle, who had originally not valued him much and thought at best he had the potential of a top-tier blue-collar player, began to pay more attention to the undersized power forward when he looked over Millsap’s training records since entering the NBA.
Even though Millsap’s current shooting ability was still poor, his shooting training had seen some progress from the summer league in July 2006 to this year’s preseason, steadily improving over time.
Mike Whitt hadn’t discovered the shooting talent either...
Luckily, they had Ingles in their Bobcats team, who had been solidly fostering Millsap’s shooting since the last season’s training camp, otherwise Carlisle would be even more annoyed.
But then, Carlisle thought again, if it wasn’t for Mike Whitt—that third-rate coach—being blind, their Bobcats team wouldn’t have been able to pick up such a genius for nothing... Give him as many opportunities as possible!
In Zhang Yang’s eyes, Millsap was already quite fortunate. In the original timeline, Millsap didn’t start to show his playmaking abilities until after 2010, when the Jazz lost Boozer and Millsap, as a starter, got his chance to handle the ball. However, he wasn’t considered a core part of the team until he joined the Hawks in 2013 when his playmaking talent was fully showcased, hitting his all-star performances around the age of 30.
Carlisle had Millsap seriously watch Diaw and Zhang Yang’s off-ball playmaking. He got up and went to the sidelines, watching Zhang Yang receive the ball after using a screen, take a step, and mid-range jump shot against Stoudemire’s defense, hitting it while making a "tsk tsk" sound.
Randy Brown, standing nearby, heard the sound Carlisle made and asked, "What’s the matter, Rick, do you think Jack’s shot selection was bad?"
Carlisle, "No, it’s not that. His shot selection was very good. He stepped to dodge Marion’s defense, made a complete shooting motion, and as Stoudemire was too far to block him, he decisively shot the ball and made it. This makes his off-ball threat even greater. He’s smart, confident."
"It’s just that his current style of play reminds me of a couple of years ago when I was coaching the Pacers. I thought Jack was a cool-headed killer who prioritizes the team, like Hamilton or Miller."
Randy Brown, "Why did you have that kind of illusion?"
Carlisle, "Didn’t you think the same before?"
Randy Brown, "I knew when he first joined that he only had eyes for the basket. His rookie year in the preseason, he could shoot 20 times in 18 minutes; he played calmly and sensibly in the regular season, just because he wasn’t strong enough at that time."
Carlisle’s mouth twitched, "Playing calmly and sensibly just because he wasn’t strong enough..."
Randy Brown, "Haha, you’ll get used to it... By the way, you seem to really value Paul. Do we really need to develop Paul’s playmaking ability so urgently?"
Carlisle, "We need an outstanding playmaker. Before, we had Gerald, who was like a sharp knife that could pierce into the opponent’s defense at any time, and others could play smoothly thanks to the threat he posed.
"Now we lack that. Although Emeka is adjusting in that direction, we can’t put all the pressure on him alone. Paul has the talent to become a playmaking power forward, and we definitely need to develop it, of course. I won’t be as aggressive as in the preseason, I will be patient."
Randy Brown, "Rajon, Jack, Grant, their playmaking abilities are very good, right? Jack’s playmaking performance tonight is just as good as Diaw’s."
Carlisle, "Jack certainly has the ability; his talent is too good. He has the talent to do everything well, but it’s a waste to have him take on playmaking responsibilities.
"Unless he’s up against defensive players like Raja Bell, or like tonight—Raymond against Nash, Emeka against Stoudemire—where their positional advantages are greater, otherwise I wouldn’t have him take on the role of the playmaker."
"Grant’s playmaking is not bad, but there’s a big gap between him and the real playmaking masters. After all, he transitioned from ball-handling offense to playing off-the-ball; his playmaking relies mostly on experience. He’s mainly teaching Paul through his experience, and he actually doesn’t do as well as Jack in this regard, let alone compare to true playmaking forwards like Duncan, Diaw, or Gasol."
"Rajon’s playmaking talent is better than Grant’s, but similar to him, his basketball mindset is that of a ball-handling point guard. The gap between him and Kidd is still obvious, as Kidd truly excelled in both ball-handling and off-ball playmaking, whereas Rajon still has a long way to go."
"In the beginning few games, Rajon and Grant’s playmaking was very good, because we hadn’t yet encountered strong defensive teams. When we really face strong defensive teams, I believe they won’t be good enough.
"Of course, Rajon is still young, just in his second year in the NBA. He has room for growth, and perhaps he might eventually become a player like Kidd who excels in both ball-handling and off-ball playmaking. But nurturing a small guard to play-make is much more difficult than developing a forward."
"I plan to separate Rajon and Paul going forward, differentiate their roles on the court, benefit our tactical diversity, and cultivate them more accurately."