Paul Millsap was named to his third consecutive All-Star appearance on Thursday afternoon when the All-Star reserves were announced. Unlike last season, when four Hawks were named to the All-Star team, Millsap was the lone Hawk to make the team this season.
Millsap has been the undisputed leader of the Hawks for the entire season. He leads the teams in points, rebounds and anchors the defensive unit. Millsap does not get a lot of national recognition, but actually ranks 3rd in PER among all power forwards ahead of guys like Blake Griffin, Draymond Green and Chris Bosh. He has become a totally different player since joining this Atlanta team, and will likely to continue to make several all-star games in the coming years.
Al Horford was another Hawk in the mix for a possible reserve spot but failed to make the team. Horford, a three-time all-star in his own right, put up almost identical numbers last year in which he was selected to the team. However, at this time last year the Hawks were on top of the NBA. It has not been that way so far this season, and as a result guys like Horford and Teague failed to make it in consecutive seasons.