Five Utah Jazz players that left fans wanting more

1) Paul Millsap

By the time Paul Millsap left the Jazz in 2013, it felt like the partnership had run its course. Millsap was fresh off a bit of a down year, the team had stagnated somewhat with he and Al Jefferson leading the charge and Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter were both eager for more court time.

Nevertheless, his early efforts playing behind Carlos Boozer and later evolution into an All-Star with the Atlanta Hawks lead one to believe that he was capable of a lot more than he was given the opportunity to show during his seven years with the franchise.

When Boozer, an All-Star in his own right, went down with injury during the 2008-09 season, then head coach Jerry Sloan looked to a young Millsap to carry the load in his absence and the third-year big man pretty much crushed it. He would start 38 games that year and averaged 16 points, 10 rebounds, one block and one steal with the first five.

In hindsight, the Jazz probably should have given him the reins much earlier than they did. That became increasingly clear as Millsap added a 3-point shot, put up 17 and eight and was named to four straight All-Star Games immediately after leaving Utah.

It’s hard to fault Sloan and Co. for not getting the most out of Millsap when they already had another star four-man in his prime. But I for one still wonder what might have been.