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Paul Millsap and Kyle Korver have quite a bit in common. Both were second-round picks. Both occupy the same corner of the Hawks' locker room. The two are almost the same height, even though one is a shooting guard and the other a power forward.

Here's one more commonality to add to the list: they each know how to get a rip steal. Like Korver, Millsap is a master of waiting for an opponent to show him a glimpse of leather. Then, with the force of a jackhammer, he mashes through the ball. More often that not, he dislodges it.

On the season, Korver has 60 steals and Millsap has amassed an even more impressive total. The three-time All Star has 139 on the season, a mark that ranks him tenth in the league and, unofficially, first among power forwards and centers. As a team, the Hawks are fourth in steals per game.

"Paul just has a great feel for it," Korver added. "He's probably the best big in the league as far as being able to strip down and get steals."

Millsap has made a habit of sneaking up would-be shooters and passers in the instant when they think they are about to complete their move. It's not uncommon, in the moment after the robbery, to see a look of surprise on the faces of his victims.

"It's tough when a guard is coming off a pick-and-roll, and you've got someone way up in there slapping down at the ball," Korver said. "That's a big part of our defense."

Head Coach Mike Budenholzer said that the Hawks do practice the move, but that Millsap has a knack for the maneuver that goes beyond the drill work.

"He's amazing on the perimeter with his hands," Budenholzer said. "It's just one of his best weapons. We do a few things on activity with hands, and we teach a little bit, but it's 99.9 percent him and his natural instincts."

Millsap has defended the paint like no other player in the NBA. He is the only player ranked in the top 10 for both total steals (145, 9th) and total blocks (133, 8th). Both marks are career highs.
Center Al Horford has also set a new career high for blocks in a season: 119. Together, the 6-foot-8 Millsap and 6-foot-10 Horford have led the Hawks to a team total of 475 blocks, the fourth-best mark in the league.

Paul Millsap was named to the NBA All-Defensive second team, the league announced Wednesday.

The Hawks’ power forward received 97 points, including 11 first-team and 75 second-team votes.

“It’s a great for Paul that everyone is appreciating and recognizing how much he does on an individual basis defensively and for our team defensively,” Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “The thing that stands out the most about Paul is probably his defensive I.Q., his defensive anticipation and his hands.

The last Hawks player to make an NBA All-Defensive team was Josh Smith, who was voted to the second team following the 2009-10 season.