With the Nets" season ended by the hands of the Philadelphia 76ers, fans are looking
towards the 2023 NBA draft.
Last year, the Nets had no draft picks in either round of the draft. However, this time around, the Nets have a total of three draft picks for the stacked 2023 draft class, two of them being first-round picks: pick #21, acquired by Phoenix in the Kevin Durant trade, and pick #22, originally belonging to the Nets themselves.
With the 2023 draft class allegedly being a generational draft, the Nets have an
opportunity to draft a prospect with All-Star potential. There are several high-end talents in this class that can fall outside of the lottery due to its depth, and one such player is Leonard Miller from the G-League Ignite.
The 19-year-old forward has flourished in the G-League, averaging 16.9 points, 10.1 rebounds on 53.7% FG, 30.4% 3PT, and 79.2% FT playing 29.7 minutes per game in a total of 38 games.
At 6’10 with a 7’2 wingspan, Miller has the frame to play both power forward and center,
and he is one of the most talented rebounders in the 2023 draft.
Miller is a capable driver, and with his size and strength, he can easily put the ball on the floor and take it to the rim.
However, the skill that impresses me most about Miller is his ability to score off the ball. 57.1% of Miller’s 2-point field goals and 92.9% of Miller’s 3-point field goals were assisted. He is a play finisher, being able to score as a roll man in the pick-and-roll, as an off-ball cutter, or as a spot-up shooter.
Miller’s ability to create points off extra possessions is incredibly valuable. He averages 2.9 points per game off of turnovers and 3.6 points per game off of second-chance opportunities, usually through his ability to grab offensive rebounds, as Miller averages 2.9 offensive rebounds per game.
The only deficiency found in Miller’s game is his 3-point shooting. In the 2022-23
season, Miller shot a poor 30.4% from 3-point range. However, Miller can easily improve his ability to hit jump shots and has already done so. Historically, free-throw percentage is ani indicator of whether or not one will improve at shooting 3s, and Miller shoots 79.2% from the free-throw line. Throughout his season in the G-League, Miller improved his 3-point shooting, shooting 38.9% from 3-point range in the final 9 games.
(graph via @pstockprospects)
Defensively, at 6'10 with his 7'2 wingspan, he’s more than capable of guarding multiple
positions with his defensive versatility. He has the speed to defend guards and the body to protect the paint.
Miller averaged 1 steal per game and 0.8 blocks per game. Of his team’s total
blocks, Miller averaged 30.9% of them, as well as 37% of his team’s total rebounds.
While it is still a topic of debate on whether or not the Nets should keep these draft picks,
Miller, with his size, defensive versatility, and his ability to score off-ball, can be a valuable asset that could contribute to winning basketball the moment he is drafted.
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