2023 NBA Draft scouting report: Leonard Miller

Leonard Miller was extremely productive for the G-League Ignite, showcasing an intriguing blend of size, athleticism, and burgeoning skill that should have NBA Draft teams sold on his upside. 

The majority of attention spent on the G-Leauge Ignite this season was directed at Scoot Henderson, but he wasn’t the only viable first-round prospect on the team. Leonard Miller was right there alongside him, galloping up the floor in transition, bullying mismatches in the paint, and putting up staggering numbers for a 19-year-old in a professional league.

Miller averaged 16.9 points and 10.1 rebounds in 30.6 minutes per game. The sheer productivity across multiple categories is hard to ignore. Miller isn’t the most polished player in the mid-to-late first-round conversation, but the capacity for growth is significant. He’s a tremendous athlete with every tool teams want in modern “bigs.”

The draft really opens up after the lottery. Miller’s range is wide, but he should be on teams’ radar as early as Atlanta in the No. 15 spot. He’s the ideal blend of immediate utility and long-term potential for teams who can afford a little patience.

Leonard Miller NBA Draft profile

Height: 6-foot-10
Weight: 213 pounds
Birthdate: November 26, 2003
Position: Power Forward
Offensive Role: Slasher/Cutter
Defensive Role: Switchable forward
Projected Draft Range: 15-30

NBA Draft highlights

Strengths

Listed at 6-foot-10 with a 7-foot-2 wingspan, Miller is a guard at heart who grew into the frame of a forward. He’s still learning to weaponize that frame to its full effect, but Miller moves more fluidly than most players his size. He’s comfortable pushing the ball up the floor in transition or facing up from the perimeter and attacking downhill.

Miller’s touch and finesse around the rim make it easy to buy his offensive baseline. He can finish with either hand. His floaters drop gracefully through the net; his spin moves are frequently fruitful. He’s not afraid to power through smaller defenders and he’s nimble enough to tiptoe around slower bigs. He looked comfortable running pick-and-rolls with Scoot Henderson all year and he possesses good feel for cutting without the ball.

He has a ways to go as a decision-maker, but Miller flashes intriguing upside as a passer and playmaker. He can locate shooters in transition. There’s potential as the ball-handler in pick-and-rolls, perhaps running inverted actions with guards popping to the perimeter while the other big lurks in the dunker’s spot. If Miller can develop as a passer on top of his slashing ability, the offensive ceiling is cosmic.

He’s not a great shooter, but Miller did hit 32.7 percent of his 2.2 attempts per game from 3-point range in the G-League. If that comes up to league average, defenses will get headaches scheming for his versatility.

Miller has the makings of a future defensive savant. His motor tends to run hot; he’s active on the glass and long enough to protect the rim from the weak side. He has theoretical 4 or 5-position versatility on switches. He can stick with guards laterally.

Weaknesses

The 3-point shot is no guarantee. Defenses will be content to sag off Miller at the next level. His mechanics aren’t very smooth and his misses aren’t always on line. He needs to get in the gym and really work on translating his touch around the rim to his perimeter jumper.

Miller’s decision-making could hold him back early in his career. His 1.6:1.5 assist-to-turnover ratio isn’t ideal — he can get hurried up in traffic and he has a bad habit of record-scratching before attacking off the catch. He will need to speed up his processing speed to fully realize his offensive potential.

On the defensive end, a lot of Miller’s ability is theoretical at this point. There are flashes, but his steal and block numbers were middling. He frequently gets lost off the ball and he can be a step behind the action on closeouts or switches. His “switchable, positonless” billing won’t mean much until he cleans up the fundamentals in a significant way.

He will need the right team to guide his development and get him focused on the details.

Conclusion

Leonard Miller is more than capable of being a signature player from the 2023 class when all is said and done. His shifty movement skills, touch around the rim, passing upside, and athletic versatility form a rare combination.

He also has more bust potential than others in the FanSided top 20. He’s not a good defender yet. He should be — he has all the physical components necessary to be a great defender — but the results aren’t there yet. His effort on the glass and strong motor should translate in time, but maybe don’t expect him to play crucial postseason minutes as a rookie.

Finding the right team will be important for Miller. He’s going to put up numbers if given the opportunity, but he needs a franchise willing to take him along slowly and make sure those numbers are conducive to winning. He improved drastically over the last year and there’s ample reason to believe in Miller’s long-term trajectory, but he is at the stage of the draft where downside risk becomes more difficult to ignore.

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