When it comes to players who have high upside but need to polish their games in the upcoming season, Leonard Miller is one of the first names that comes to mind.
He’s got the ideal size at 6-foot-10 for an NBA forward and possesses the tools that should translate well at the next level, but there’s a couple of things that are currently holding him back from being considered a top-tier prospect.
Most of the concern with Miller at this point has to do with his shot. Not only are his mechanics in need of work, but shot selection can also be concerning at times.
As it relates to shot selection, it should be noted that almost every highly ranked high school player has moments in which they try to do too much. This was the case for Miller in his breakout postgraduate season at Fort Erie International Academy in Canada last year, as he was almost always the best player on the court.
What’s promising for Miller is that he’s playing in the G League this season with the Ignite, where he’ll be forced to play within a more defined system and role. This should naturally improve his shot selection as he’ll have less of a green light than he did as a high school star.
We’ve already seen a small sample of this earlier in the month when the Ignite took on Victor Wembanyama and the French team Metropolitans 92 twice. Although he shot 4-of-15 (0-of-4 from deep) in the first matchup just outside of Las Vegas, he was much more efficient in game two as Miller shot 6-of-10 from the floor and 2-of -5 from beyond the arc.
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The G League feels like a great intermediate step for Miller before he makes the jump to the NBA, which he almost did last summer. He entered the 2022 NBA Draft and was getting quite a bit of buzz before he withdrew late in the process.
Now, he’ll have the chance to improve and potentially go in the lottery of the 2023 NBA Draft. There’s no question he’s got a chance to be selected in that range next summer.
Even if his shot selection is cleaned up this season, his jumper itself also needs to improve drastically. Miller’s left stroke has a pretty slow release and is unorthodox in general. He splits his legs in the air and often does not fully square up to the rim. His shot looks clean in warmups and in practice situations, but that often doesn’t translate to in-game scenarios.
It is promising that Miller is already a fairly effective midrange shooter, so expanding this efficiency out to the perimeter is certainly achievable.
With the size and skillset Miller has, a respectable jumper will only take his game to the next level. Especially on an Ignite team that will have NBA scouts around all season long, the opportunity is there.
If Miller can become a smarter and more fluid shooter, a lottery selection could be in his future.
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