Miles Byrd more than doubled his minutes per game as a sophomore, becoming a central figure on both ends for the San Diego State Aztecs. He put himself on NBA radars. Now, as a junior, Byrd has a clear mandate to not only help the Aztecs take the next step, but to boost his stock with scouts.
Every NBA team wants a player in Byrd's mold. He creates havoc on defense and contributes in a variety of ways offensively. The league has evolved beyond the need for cookie-cutter, 3-and-D wings. It's hard to stick on the floor, especially in the playoffs, without diversity of skill. You can't be a one-note player on offense. Byrd flashes immense upside as a shooter and a connective playmaker. He simply needs to fine-tune a few elements of his game to solidify his reputation in NBA Draft circles.
San Diego State should give him every opportunity to do so this season. Byrd was second on the team in usage rate (23.1) last season, per KenPom. Nick Boyd, the Aztecs' star point guard, has transferred to Wisconsin, opening the door for Byrd to take on an even more central role. What he does with this expanded opportunity process-wise will matter a lot more than the raw counting stats. Byrd will score more in 2025-26, but how he scores is the focus.
Miles Byrd NBA Draft bio
Height: 6-foot-7
Weight: 190 lbs.
Birthdate: Sept. 8, 2004
Position: Shooting Guard
Offensive Role: Secondary Creator
Defensive Role: Perimeter Pest
Projected Draft Range: 20-40
NBA Draft highlights
Strengths
Byrd is such a fluid athlete at 6-foot-7 in shoes with a 6-foot-10 wingspan. It shows up most evidently on the defensive end, where Byrd just glides over screens and sticks like glue at the point of attack. He's not very strong, at least by NBA standards, but Byrd is just perfectly calibrated in his movement. He makes full use of his length, locking the door on passing lanes and expertly picking pockets.
He was 25th in the nation in steal rate (4.3) as a redshirt sophomore, averaging 2.1 steals and 1.1 blocks in 30.1 minutes. Byrd's defense is flat-out phenomenal across the board. As great as he is on-ball, he's not really built to operate as a full-time stopper. He's best actualized off-ball, lurking in the shadows, picking the most opportune moments to pounce into passing lanes or float backdoor for a block.
He generates a lot of transition offense, too, which is a significant value add. Byrd isn't the most advanced ball-handler, but he can reach top gear quickly and glide smoothly down the court on a fast break. Byrd's heads-up processing really shines in that setting. He knows when to make the hit-ahead pass, when to pull it back, when to sprint all the way for a slam.
In the halfcourt, Byrd's value is twofold. He's going to hit spot-up 3s and function aptly as your standard off-ball guard. But he can also tap into his playmaking on a fairly regular basis (2.7 assists per game, 1.6 turnovers). He makes quick reads out of pick-and-rolls, with the creativity to deliver passes in a variety of ways. Whether he's attacking off the catch or even setting up shop at the top of the key, Byrd's ability to win with his first step and leverage advantages to set up teammates provides a strong foundation for future growth.
Shooting inconsistency has been an ongoing issue for Byrd, but he looks comfortable both spotting up and pulling up, with the confidence to fire with a hand in his face. He's a career 82.9 percent free throw shooter with the Aztecs, so there's reason to believe the 3-point results (30.1 percent on 5.9 attempts as a sophomore) will come around. Good touch indicators and a high volume of 3s is far more important than a great percentage, especially this early in his development.
With the NBA so focused on adding flexibility and versatility across the board, Byrd's ability to scale up or down on offense — while stifling opponents on defense — should help him stick at the next level. He's not a one-note contributor, with a blend of size, skill and IQ that should win scouts over.
Weaknesses
Byrd is so close to being so great. He's a phenomenal defender — one of the most disruptive, consistently on-point stoppers in college basketball — which should get him a long way at the next level. But while the offensive skill set is tantalizing, and the foundation is strong, Byrd still has a lot to work on.
The consistency does need to improve with respect to his jump shot. While the touch is there, Byrd has not shown meaningful growth in 3-point success over the years. His volume spiked along with his playing time, but he still needs 'em to fall eventually. He could use a less noisy load-up. There's a lot of extra motion with his mechanics, especially when he's pulling up in traffic. He'll let his elbow flare out when he's hurried, so just establishing a repeatable baseline would go a long way for Byrd.
More worrisome, however, is Byrd's dire lack of efficiency inside the arc. He has the quickness to get downhill and pressure the rim, but Byrd is completely allergic to physicality at the rim. He tends to fade away from rim protectors and fire up erratic layups that could just as easily clank sideways off the backboard as fall through the net. Byrd gets to his spots in the mid-range and he has the dribbling craft to create advantages and get two feet in the paint, but he's just not doing it consistently. Until he's braver (and more physically prepared) in the face of physicality, there will be a gaping hole in Byrd's offensive profile. Especially going up against better defenders in the NBA.
While Byrd has some nice spins and countermoves in his bag, the ball-handling overall is not great. Byrd looks so smooth when he isn't pressured, but the handle can get a bit loose, which leads to turnovers (or ugly shots) when stronger defenders get in his jersey and reroute him. He doesn't turn the ball over a ton, but such issues will flare up at the next level (or even with a bigger role at San Diego State) if Byrd isn't careful.
Final summary
Byrd fits the skilled 3-and-D profile teams covet so much in today's NBA. He can add value as a passer and a driver, on occasion, while the defense alone is strong enough to guarantee a fair shake at the next level. If Byrd can generate stops and turn the rock over like he does at San Diego State, NBA teams will be extremely patient with his offensive development. And again, the combination of touch and volume as a shooter — not to mention his generally high basketball IQ — give reason to believe he can improve in the ways he needs to improve. It starts with beefing up, playing with more intention (especially on drives), and drilling his shooting mechanics into oblivion.