Utah Jazz: Millsap's role altered with Boozer back in fold

By Jody Genessy

Deseret News

Paul Millsap's wallet isn't the only thing that expanded since the Utah Jazz last played.

The role he'll be used in and the positions on the floor he'll play have also been stretched and extended.

With Carlos Boozer back on the team — making the Jazz loaded with two talented power forwards — coach Jerry Sloan and his staff came up with a way to help the organization get its money's worth after agreeing to pay Millsap $32 million over the next four years.

The plan?

Use Millsap as a small forward, so he can share court time with the Jazz's two-time All-Star power forward.

Though Millsap only saw 18 minutes of action in Utah's 103-87 win over Denver on Thursday, a good chunk of that time was in the 3 spot.

"It felt good," Millsap said. "I'm still learning the position. It's going to take a little bit of time, but that's what preseason's for — to get out there and learn it."

Sloan thought the switch-up — Millsap was the small forward with a couple of different lineups — worked plenty fine in its debut.

"Paul did all right," Sloan said. "I'm not worried about him."

"He's practiced there," Sloan added. "It's not like it's a big deal as far as him running the plays and stuff. He knows what's going on. We just move him around a little bit and see what happens."

It was a bit strange for Millsap to bounce between the two positions, though. At times, the 6-8, 246-pound Millsap was guarding the slippery smooth Carmelo Anthony (6-8, 230) as a small forward. At others, he ended up banging bodies with the beefy Birdman, a.k.a. 6-10, 228-pound Chris Andersen.

That, Millsap insisted, was part of the fun of it.

"It's different," he admitted. "Coach likes me to mix it up a little bit. He likes to see what I can do. Whoever's steps in front of me I'm going to try to guard with the best of my abilities."

The results were somewhat mixed during his mostly quiet seven-point, three-rebound night. Millsap did get burned Anthony for an easy bucket, but he also stepped out and hit a top-of-the-key jumper.

Millsap's quickness will especially be needed — as well as improved outside shooting — when he ventures into small-forward territory.