[Shams Charania] Sources: Minnesota is selecting Leonard Miller at No. 33 via Spurs.
Sources: Minnesota is selecting Leonard Miller at No. 33 via Spurs.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 23, 2023
by irishace88
@Minnesota Timberwolves
[Shams Charania] Sources: Minnesota is selecting Leonard Miller at No. 33 via Spurs.
Sources: Minnesota is selecting Leonard Miller at No. 33 via Spurs.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 23, 2023
by irishace88
48 Comments
Yoooo! Miller is the steal of the draft
LET’S FUCKING GOOOOOO
Love this pick.
Tell me how to feel
Big time get
I know nothing about him but I saw David Thorpe said he would consider taking this guy as high as SEVENTH.
Fucking great pick at #33
LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
(googles leonard miller)
Whoās got the scoop!
WE DID IT REDDIT
Oh shit! We had a 1st round pick after all.
[Jon Krawczynski] Miller averaged 16.9 points and 10.1 rebounds for G-League Ignite last season. 6-9, 215 pounds.
@Sam_Vecenie had him 13th on his board.
Bro averaged 17 and 10 in the G League??? Connelly is COOKING
7 foot 2 inch wingspan
I havenāt studied this draft
Whatās the scoop?
I just love that we moved up for 33, basically a late first
High upside pick.
Not so sure about the fit.
I hope TC got something cooking to replace Nowell’s minutes
#18 on Ringers big board. Best remaining (#20) on ESPN’s. #13 on The Athletics.
Don’t know anything about him, but seems great.
Letās go!!! Compares to JMacās brother on Bleacher Report fwiw lol
Great pickup
Sam Vecenie had him 13th on his board per Jonny K…. Let’s hope Sam is right
This reminds me of when Dejounte Murray fell to the Spurs
We made a pick!!! Letās go Miller!!!
Shot form looks horrible but 7 foot 2 wingspan, can score, can play defense, athletic not a bad prospect.
Funnily enough I’ve seen him compared to Jalen McDaniels
Steal of the draft. Iāve been on him since 2 mins ago. Hard worker, great size, cries a lot. Will fit in so well.
HOW DID WE GET HIM??? I JUST WOKE UP
Dude was emotional. Good dude. Excited to see what he does.
will always support rostering canadians
I watched him play last year. Reminds me more of a raw Vando than JMac.
Not a fan of saying āSTEALā or āREACHā because last year TyTy was a steal and Kessler with J. Williams were reaches, but holy shit, Iāve liked this guy for a while. Last year he was projected as late 1st, went through the draft process, but decided to go to G-League to improve his stock. Curious why he fell – I saw some websites mocking him in the lottery or right after. He is boom or bust pick, definitely worth using 33rd pick. Millerās NBA comparison is Vando with better handles.
Great work Tim š¤š½
Great pick. High upside, and the extra Forward depth should make it easier to flip Prince for a backup PG if the team decides to go that route.
Really great pick here by the timberwolves. This kid… *flips pages*… Leonard Miller, is a real steal at pick 33.
Reminds me of seatbelt
Played PG up until a year ago when he was probably the 2nd best big I saw in the GLeague next to Luka Garza. No joke could be Naz Reid but better rebounding and defense. Hyperbole but not crazy.
This is from The Athletic top 100 draft prospects
13 . Leonard Miller
F | G League Ignite | Birthdate: Nov. 26, 2003 (Age: 19) | 6-9 | 215 LBS |
Hometown: Scarborough, Ontario
BACKGROUND
Mother is Carline. Youngest of four brothers, including Emanuel, who plays at TCU and is a future NBA Draft prospect in his
own right. Miller grew up in the Toronto suburbs with his family. Really picked up basketball when he was a teenager and started
training heavily. Traveled on buses for multiple hours per day to get to his first prep school. Moved around a lot to try to find the
right spot for him to keep developing. He started at Thornlea, and then moved to continue his training at Wasatch Academy in
Utah. Miller was around 6-foot-6 and then started growing over the course of the next year to about 6-foot-9 or so. Did not play a
lot for a Wasatch team loaded with upperclassmen. Transferred down to Florida and went to Victory Rock but suffered a broken
right wrist that required surgery. Decided to do a post-graduate year at Fort Erie Prep back in Canada where he played for long-
time family friend Charles Hantoumakos. It was there that Miller finally broke out and thrived. He was dominant and picked up
scholarship offers around the country. Was invited to Nike Hoop Summit that year and impressed evaluators. Decided to declare
for the 2022 NBA Draft but ended up withdrawing to get more experience. Decided instead to commit to the G League Ignite,
where Miller thrived again after some adjustment. By the end of the season, he was one of the best players on a nightly basis as a
ballhandling big forward who could lead the break and live at the rim. Was automatically eligible for the 2023 NBA Draft and was
invited to the 2023 NBA Draft Combine. Miller is a very high-level mixture of competitive, intellectually curious and hard-work-
ing. Every reason to believe he will get the most out of his ceiling long term.
STRENGTHS
Miller has a terrific intersection of skill level and size. Measured 6-foot-9 1/2 without shoes with a 7-foot-2 wingspan and a strong
215-pound frame. Elite size for a player who can handle the ball, make plays and get out on the break. Strange blend of athletic
traits. Constantly lives on the edge of being off-balance where it looks like his body is moving in different directions at the same
time. However, heās clearly confident and comfortable within his own movements, which means heās able to get to his spots.
Great body control and takes bumps well, displaying the fact that his balance is quite good despite how it seems. Very strong.
Tops that off by playing hard all the time. Aggressive player who uses his athleticism to make an impact all over the court both
as a leaper and on the ground. Seems to get off the floor quickly as a leaper. Quick reactions. All of this leads to him being a very
real mismatch threat in a lot of different situations.
He particularly excels out on the break. Tremendous grab-and-go player out in transition. Averaged over 10 rebounds per game
this past season in the G League, many of which started instant offense down the floor. Very long strides. Covers ground quickly.
Kind of a freight train out in space. Uses that ability to understand space and how to maneuver within it well. Changes direction
well and acts as a heat-seeking missile to try to find the man at the basketās body. Will initiate contact to create that little bit of
space, maintain that balance and power up through contact. Millerās strength is ridiculous for his size. Heās incredibly strong
and physical, and the strength looks like it will continue to get better as he ages.
Itās hard to overemphasize how terrific Millerās finishing acumen is. He has superb touch. Because of his ball skills, heās very
versatile in the actions in which he can be used. Has an enormous bag of tricks on the interior. Great hand-eye coordination and
can finish above the rim when rolling out of ball screens and rim running as a cutter. Can also leap off two feet out of the dunker
spot and finish. Made 66.7 percent of his shots at the rim in total and 61.3 in half-court settings. Given some of the degree of
difficulty on some of those, impressive numbers. Really good instincts for when to time his cut out of the dunker spot, and when
to time his roll because of his ability to put the ball on the deck out of short-roll scenarios. But more importantly, can also attack
in straight lines in the half court. Will get the ball in the mid-post and try to attack in a straight line. Can still go through contact and get all the way to the rim with his Euro steps or deceleration techniques. But where the mismatch situations really come
in is when heās matched up against a big on the perimeter. Heās good at getting his hips lower than them and driving by with a
smart first step, then getting all the way to the rim. Not wildly explosive but very good at finding those angles.
The blend of physical traits allows Miller to be a terrific finisher. Those weird movements allow him to throw off rim protectors
and avoid contact, creating finishing angles others canāt really find. Loves to Euro step or crossover and get back to his right
hand. Can change direction without having to change speed with his handle at his size. Makes them with either hand as well.
Has that rare blend of touch at the basket. Throws up some ridiculous, different shots at the rim that go in. Despite being a lefty,
he can get to the right-handed floater and knock them down.
I buy him as a passer and playmaker at his size in a secondary role long term even with the warts right now. Ignite used him
occasionally in some ball screen opportunities as a ballhandler, and I liked his vision as a playmaker. Hit some smart cross-
corner passes. Numbers donāt jump off the page because Miller wasnāt typically asked to be utilized in a playmaking role. But
his tape at lower levels really showcased high-level passing vision. Very good at the jump pass, drawing defenders toward him
then quickly reacting to who is coming. He averaged only 1.6 assists per game, but much like the rest of the season, he showed
tremendous growth in the second half. Over his last 15 games, he averaged 2.5 assists per game versus 1.5 turnovers.
There are also some real defensive tools I buy into long term. I think he will be a plus on-ball defender in the NBA. Miller plays
very hard and never gives up on plays. When he has an assignment, he excels at it. Think the growth he showed on that end this
past season in terms of tools and technique was strong. Defended multiple position types. Can deal with players from the wing
up to the center position. Can slide and stay in front of wings, but because heās so strong, you also canāt go through his chest as
a driver by lowering his shoulder. Walls up and stays in front of his man. Does so with his arms very high in the air. Can defend
men on the block. Plus, he uses that immense length with an 8-foot-10 1/2 standing reach to be able to contest shots. Had some
moments of navigating off-ball actions well just by being willing to fight. Has shown some upside with weakside rim rotations.
Averaged about one steal and one block per game.
I’ve known this guy since about 10 minutes ago and trust me this is the steal of the draft.
Always exciting to move up and get a hype prospect!
How did he end up at 33 with that body?
[Dane Moore] Wolves take Leonard Miller at No. 33
6’9.25″ without shoes
7’2″ wingspan
213 pounds
Recent draft picks with similar measurements:
– Daniel Gafford
– Christian Wood
– Nerlens Noel
– Moussa Diabate
– Jalen Smith
I’m already invested on this guy (as of 5mins ago).
Don’t you dare trade him like Kessler.
From the 2 minute Youtube clip he looks a little like Vando, a little like Brandon Clarke. He looks sick.
1 highlight reel in and that kid is strong. finished through contact. and puts himself in a position to score! his form looks terrible but also very quick. big project player but lots of potential
Super excited for this pick
How did this dude slip so far???
I think I read he had something like 17 double doubles last season.
Did we just get the steal of the draft?
LET TIM COOK
​
Actually fucking love this pick, insane value at 33. Great trade!
Wether they work out or not is to be determined but Miller and Minott are about as fun of picks as you can ask for with young tools athletic dudes. Itās all about developing skills with them but even if they donāt develop a lot of tools they could always work out as a Vando hustle hard type player.
Do I smell aā¦Gupta Special?