Prospect Overview
Late-blooming Canadian prep school standout who has great length and some upside as a perimeter scorer, but faces a steep learning curve transitioning to the professional level.
About Leonard Miller
Among the youngest players eligible for the 2022 NBA Draft, Leonard Miller caught the attention of NBA scouts with his length and offensive potential competing in the Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association with Fort Erie International Academy. Earning some attention averaging 4.2 points and 1.3 minutes over 7.1 minutes per game for Canada at the 2019 FIBA U16 Americas Championship and due to the rise of his older brother, Emanuel, as a top-150 prospect in the class of 2019, the Toronto native bounced around high schools in America before hitting a late growth spurt and returning to Canada for a postgraduate season.
Posting gaudy numbers in the OSBA scoring over 40 points on a number of occasions and stuffing the stat sheet most nights, the 18-year-old was dominant for stretches before looking to gain traction on bigger stages at the Nike Hoop Summit and NBA Draft Combine.
• Measured standing 6-foot-10 with a lean 211-pound frame and a 7-foot-2 wingspan at the 2022 NBA Draft Combine, Miller has room to get stronger, but possesses terrific dimensions for a forward and is a very good athlete.
• Given tremendous freedom offensively in the OSBA, Miller showed the ability to create a bit off the dribble, make jumpers with promising natural touch, and impose his will on smaller teams with his length and athleticism around the rim. Doing more work as a cutter and rebounder in other settings, he is a bit of a blank slate of a player. While he flashes some glimpses of ability, he still has considerable room to improve his skill level and decision-making, but brings intriguing potential.
• Showing some playmaking potential defensively with his length and agility, Miller was a force on that end of the floor in his best moments. Still learning how to be solid on the defensive end–particularly off the ball–he showed encouraging intensity on bigger stages but faces a steep learning curve from an NBA perspective.
Advanced Stats
• Frequently creating his own shot pushing the ball and operating out of ball screens in OSBA play, Miller’s size and athletic ability with the ball stood out. Earning some opportunities being active on the glass, cutting off the ball, and being aggressive spacing the floor, the 18-year-old filled a massive role last season and scored an efficient 1.01 points per possession. While he is early in his development in a lot of ways, his talent overwhelmed opposing defenders at that level.
• Scoring 1.39 points per shot around the basket in the half court [95th percentile], Miller showed the ability to play above the rim and finish with touch, but more than anything, was not shy about attacking less talented players off the dribble. With how often he played on the ball, he did not get many opportunities to catch lobs, but showed excellent explosiveness when he could get a runway to the rim.
• Scoring 0.81 points per jump shot [67th percentile], Miller was aggressive from beyond the arc at times. He has a somewhat low release point and contorts his legs on some attempts, but showed the ability to stop and pop with range off the dribble leaving room for optimism about his ability to grow into a capable floor spacer.
• While Miller handled the ball extensively in the OSBA, he remains somewhat early in his development as a decision-maker and ball handler, but flashes some fluidity with the ball that adds another dimension to the intriguing promise he showed offensively this season.
Defensive Analysis
• Blocking shots and rebounding the ball at a high level in OSBA play as the league’s most imposing physical presence, Miller showed playmaking ability in spurts. His length and agility give him potential as a multi-positional defender as he adjusts to the speed and physicality of the pro game.
• Without much experience against elite level competition, Miller has a lot of room to improve his fundamentals defensively and will need to get stronger to reach his potential at the NBA level.
— Profile by Synergy Sports
