Exclusive All Things Brandon Miller

Welcome to our community

Be a part of something great, join today!

Register Log in
wizenheimer said:
he never did....MM has been pretty anti-Dame for quite a while now
Click to expand...
MOST teams don’t win with a ball dominant undersized pg that doesn’t play defense. Dame is incredible, and I think it’s hard to argue that he isn’t the best Trailblazer of all time. BUT,,,,he’s also going to be 33 when the season starts and wants to win now. We don’t have the assets for that because in order to win non, Dame can’t be the best player on the team IMO. It’s also certainly not his fault that Olshey failed him for half of a decade. But for him to want to mortgage our future and STILL not have the pieces to make him happy, is going to backfire
 
Last edited:
TBpup said:
Players can contribute earlier....agreed. Some guy named Bill Walton was drafted in '74 and won a title in '77.
Click to expand...
Of course. All Portland has to do to compete next year is add an all time great Big in their prime. Or if they could just add 2 or more better then average frontcourt starters without losing anything, that might work too. Work your magic Joe!

On a serious note, I think Portland's best shot (albeit a long one) at having another great on the team is for Shaedon to do a Neo-morph and ascend ahead of hopes. Probably more likely is that never happens and he tops off at a Jason Richardson level, which is still a hell of a floor.

STOMP
 
Mediocre Man said:
MOST teams don’t win with a ball dominant undersized pg that doesn’t play defense. Dame is incredible, and I think it’s hard to argue that he is the best Trailblazer of all time. BUT,,,,he’s also going to be 33 when the season starts and wants to win now. We don’t have the assets for that because in order to win non, Dame can’t be the best player on the team IMO. It’s also certainly not his fault that Olshey failed him for half of a decade. But for him to want to mortgage our future and STILL not have the pieces to make him happy, is going to backfire
Click to expand...

This is very well-reasoned and well-said. It's hard to disagree with any of it if someone's viewing it impassionately.

I think what happens is a lot of people have -- understandably -- become so tied to Dame that they have trouble being honest with themselves about how the few shortcomings he has dictate the idiosyncrasies of the Blazer roster. They also think we have to do what Dame seems to be alluding to and what the national press has taken and run with.

Disagreeing with the take that there's a trade available to the Blazers that has a bigger chance to vault them into contention than to sent the organization into a death spiral in Dame's final years isn't an indictment of Dame. It's an honest critique of what the team needs to do to be as good as the other teams that won at least one playoff series this year and who out there can bridge that gap without being a total desperation move in the landscape of the Western Conference.

Also, as others have pointed out, Dame said what he preferred. A lot of us are presuming Dame is "do this or else" because, quite honestly, the pundits have fed that to us just like they fed the "Dame wants a trade" nonsense in the past. There's a lot of room in between, Dame generally moves difference, and we have no idea how open he is to nuance and other approaches. For instance, if Cronin goes to Dame and says the Raptors have offered Siakam but it's pretty clear the trade wouldn't do enough and would leave the organization with less resources with which to make the other move or moves that need done, how open would Dame be toward, "you know, let's draft Brandon Miller and keep looking for other ways to get better."
 
My biggest worry is the gun issue. I know, he's not a suspect, till he is. Then you're looking at world upside down. Only he & the murderer knows what really happened. He could be totally innocent, and the bad guy says he is involved for some damn reason. It would be foolish to think it's totally over till it is. That worries me. I think he looks head and shoulders over Amen. Amen looks like a developmental prospect due to his lack of shooting prowess. I hope there's nothing to it. Really do, cause the kid is super skilled. I hope the Hornets draft him and he's a future all star. Then the Blazers can get a haul for Scoot.
 
wizenheimer said:
I was not talking about player contributions and how soon that could happen. I was talking about how soon Portland could realistically become a contender after trading Dame. Blazers don't have Bill Walton who was 3 times the NCAA player of the year, or the ABA dispersal draft, or 10 rounds of the NBA draft; They don't have DWade and Shaq; They don't have Kareem, Norm Nixon, Jamal Wilkes or Michael Cooper on the roster like Magic had. They don't have Duncan, Parker, & Ginobli like Kawhi had

Bill Walton was 25 when the Blazers won and he played 4 years at UCLA. Sharpe & Scoot are 19

what the have is Sharpe, maybe Scoot or Miller or Amen and some average and below average role players. They aren't going to build a contender in 3 years. Or 4 years.
Click to expand...

Agreed...with or without Dame. So why not get the assets from Dame to have a better shot at it later rather than trading future assets and young players out for a run at higher mediocrity? I find it overly optimistic at best that suddenly we are going to built a legit contender in the next 2 years when we haven't been close in the first 11 of Dame's era? The closest may have been his first playoffs when he was on a rookie contract. That can not be duplicated with his salary now.

It would be sad to see Dame go but hopefully he would have a better shot somewhere else like Clyde got and eventually Walton got another as well. Kersey got a ring when he moved on. Porter had a chance. The assets we would get provide no guarantee, but IMO, we would be a lot closer with what we would get than what we would lose in trying to chase an emotionally driven fantasy.
 
PCmor7 said:
This is very well-reasoned and well-said. It's hard to disagree with any of it if someone's viewing it impassionately.

I think what happens is a lot of people have -- understandably -- become so tied to Dame that they have trouble being honest with themselves about how the few shortcomings he has dictate the idiosyncrasies of the Blazer roster. They also think we have to do what Dame seems to be alluding to and what the national press has taken and run with.

Disagreeing with the take that there's a trade available to the Blazers that has a bigger chance to vault them into contention than to sent the organization into a death spiral in Dame's final years isn't an indictment of Dame. It's an honest critique of what the team needs to do to be as good as the other teams that won at least one playoff series this year and who out there can bridge that gap without being a total desperation move in the landscape of the Western Conference.

Also, as others have pointed out, Dame said what he preferred. A lot of us are presuming Dame is "do this or else" because, quite honestly, the pundits have fed that to us just like they fed the "Dame wants a trade" nonsense in the past. There's a lot of room in between, Dame generally moves difference, and we have no idea how open he is to nuance and other approaches. For instance, if Cronin goes to Dame and says the Raptors have offered Siakam but it's pretty clear the trade wouldn't do enough and would leave the organization with less resources with which to make the other move or moves that need done, how open would Dame be toward, "you know, let's draft Brandon Miller and keep looking for other ways to get better."
Click to expand...
I find it hard to believe adding an All NBA talent like Pascal Siakam wouldn't seriously help this roster going forward. Look, Joe ain't stupid. He's not going to trade the farm for him. But then again, If Toronto is even fielding a trade offer then they want to move on. And a so-called franchise player like Scoot could be a huge addition to make Toronto move on. That 3 rd pick has huge value. But even just adding Siakam to a starting lineup of Dame, Grant, Nurk & Sharpe has incredible potential. There are no superteams. That's a contending starting lineup IMO. The Blazers can add bench help as well with their flexibility and future draft capital. Some in here act like once Siakam drinks the local water he'll turn into a pumpkin. Yet Miller or Scoot, both unproven are on their way to being all world. I say BUNK!
 
tykendo said:
I find it hard to believe adding an All NBA talent like Pascal Siakam wouldn't seriously help this roster going forward. Look, Joe ain't stupid. He's not going to trade the farm for him. But then again, If Toronto is even fielding a trade offer then they want to move on. And a so-called franchise player like Scoot could be a huge addition to make Toronto move on. That 3 rd pick has huge value. But even just adding Siakam to a starting lineup of Dame, Grant, Nurk & Sharpe has incredible potential. There are no superteams. That's a contending starting lineup IMO. The Blazers can add bench help as well with their flexibility and future draft capital. Some in here act like once Siakam drinks the local water he'll turn into a pumpkin. Yet Miller or Scoot, both unproven are on their way to being all world. I say BUNK!
Click to expand...

Whether you find it hard to believe or not, it might be the case, and I think maybe instead of discarding the possibility of out of hand, you'd be better served to be open to that before seriously discussing it.

This has been mentioned elsewhere: trades for all-stars don't work out as often or as well as we've been conditioned to believe. Durant didn't make the Suns a conference finalist. Paul George hasn't gotten the Clippers to the finals. Gobert didn't make the Wolves contenders, etc., etc. There's also the matter of what you have to give up to get these guys.

Also, depending on who you talk to about Joe, he might be stupid, he might be cowed by Dame's demands, or, heck, he might not even be the one calling the shots.

Anyway, I think you're looking at the issue with several biases that are going to cloud your judgment and make a rational discussion with you next to impossible because you are going to cling to them as your foundation when they aren't even proven to be true on their own. I know that's condescending, but I don't have a better way of wording it, so I'll leave it at that.
 
PCmor7 said:
Whether you find it hard to believe or not, it might be the case, and I think maybe instead of discarding the possibility of out of hand, you'd be better served to be open to that before seriously discussing it.

This has been mentioned elsewhere: trades for all-stars don't work out as often or as well as we've been conditioned to believe. Durant didn't make the Suns a conference finalist. Paul George hasn't gotten the Clippers to the finals. Gobert didn't make the Wolves contenders, etc., etc. There's also the matter of what you have to give up to get these guys.

Also, depending on who you talk to about Joe, he might be stupid, he might be cowed by Dame's demands, or, heck, he might not even be the one calling the shots.

Anyway, I think you're looking at the issue with several biases that are going to cloud your judgment and make a rational discussion with you next to impossible because you are going to cling to them as your foundation when they aren't even proven to be true on their own. I know that's condescending, but I don't have a better way of wording it, so I'll leave it at that.
Click to expand...
What did KG do in Boston? Phoenix lost their best defender in Bridges, and gave up on another good defender in Crowder. I don't buy Durant as any all world defender. Siakam CAN defend. Crowder would be a nice addition to bench. His days of making 20 mil, are past.
 
I find it wild how one & doner Brandon Miller is the next coming, but All NBA Pascal Siakam is chopped liver. Give me the guy i know can play and be dominant at the NBA level. And not saying Miller won't be , potentially , a great player. But i want proven now to join our generational talent . There will be more potential great one & doners in the future.
 
tykendo said:
What did KG do in Boston? Phoenix lost their best defender in Bridges, and gave up on another good defender in Crowder. I don't buy Durant as any all world defender. Siakam CAN defend. Crowder would be a nice addition to bench. His days of making 20 mil, are past.
Click to expand...

Now you're rambling and rationalizing. You're looking at a few arguments that support your POV but not the overall picture. You had a conclusion and you're going to use anything you can to fit that reality, but that reality's a myth.

As I said, it's going to be hard to have any kind of productive conversation with you on this topping. You WANT it to be a certain way, and you'll spin things or ignore things that expose the problems with it.

Please don't quote me about this anymore, because I'll feel more compelled to reply but it's kind of like arguing about the Bermuda Triangle. You're picking and choosing facts to support a false narrative and having a hard time leaving your emotions out of it.
 
PCmor7 said:
Now you're rambling and rationalizing. You're looking at a few arguments that support your POV but not the overall picture. You had a conclusion and you're going to use anything you can to fit that reality, but that reality's a myth.

As I said, it's going to be hard to have any kind of productive conversation with you on this topping. You WANT it to be a certain way, and you'll spin things or ignore things that expose the problems with it.

Please don't quote me about this anymore, because I'll feel more compelled to reply but it's kind of like arguing about the Bermuda Triangle. You're picking and choosing facts to support a false narrative and having a hard time leaving your emotions out of it.
Click to expand...
C'mon, you're saying you're rational and i'm not. Why, because i want a proven player over a unproven kid. Or you can say that Durant or Paul George hasn't panned out yet, but i show you a player that has, and that's an irrational take. Whatever.
 
And your post was the most emotional. You just attacked me. I never attacked you. Punk move.
 
tykendo said:
I find it hard to believe adding an All NBA talent like Pascal Siakam wouldn't seriously help this roster going forward. Look, Joe ain't stupid. He's not going to trade the farm for him. But then again, If Toronto is even fielding a trade offer then they want to move on. And a so-called franchise player like Scoot could be a huge addition to make Toronto move on. That 3 rd pick has huge value. But even just adding Siakam to a starting lineup of Dame, Grant, Nurk & Sharpe has incredible potential. There are no superteams. That's a contending starting lineup IMO. The Blazers can add bench help as well with their flexibility and future draft capital. Some in here act like once Siakam drinks the local water he'll turn into a pumpkin. Yet Miller or Scoot, both unproven are on their way to being all world. I say BUNK!
Click to expand...

A better way of explaining this is you are coming at it from the position of absolutes, but the absolutes are your opinion and cannot be proven.

No one said your idea can't work, only that it's likelihood isn't all that high. However, for you, every time it did work it's a confirmation of your desired conclusion, even if that conclusion happens 1 out of 10 times or is decades old. And, conversely, every time your desired outcome didn't happen, it was a result of some particular other factor, factors that always are at play but they only stick out to you in these cases because excuses are needed to explain why the deal for the vet didn't have the desired outcome.

I beg your pardon for having to quote you again on this, but I figured out the way I wanted to word my response after I'd already sent the previous one.
 
Mediocre Man said:
MOST teams don’t win with a ball dominant undersized pg that doesn’t play defense. Dame is incredible, and I think it’s hard to argue that he is the best Trailblazer of all time. BUT,,,,he’s also going to be 33 when the season starts and wants to win now. We don’t have the assets for that because in order to win non, Dame can’t be the best player on the team IMO. It’s also certainly not his fault that Olshey failed him for half of a decade. But for him to want to mortgage our future and STILL not have the pieces to make him happy, is going to backfire
Click to expand...

yes...that's generally been repeated over and over and over in this forum over the last 15 months or so.

and yes, Dame has said some things since the season ended. But he never said what you just claimed he said. OK?

**************************************************************************************************

* "Dame can’t be the best player on the team IMO"....ok, but what does that even mean? Does it mean 'he can't be the best player so let's trade him then go find a better one'? Sure looks like it but how probable is that? Portland drafted Clyde, who is the last player Portland added that was close to Dame's level. They drafted him in 1983. 29 years later, Portland drafted Dame. Essentially it took 3 decades for the Blazers to add a player as good or better than Clyde. 3 decades. And I have yet to see any reasonable explanation from the trade-Dame people just how trading Dame is going to allow Portland to draft the next Clyde or the next Dame (except for one). But more than that is that just having one player on that level isn't enough. Clyde was surrounded by much more talent on his rosters than Dame ever has and he didn't win a championship in Portland. It wasn't till he was Hakeem's sidekick that happened.

so then, in order to legitimately contend, Portland would have to go out and find two players as good as Dame. But they'd apparently have to be the right kind of players. No 6'2 PG's like Dame (or Scoot). If it took 29 years between having a player on Dame/Clyde level, how long will it take to find two?

there would be only one realistic way if it started with trading Dame, and I've said this several times: Trade Dame for the best draft capital you can. If decent veteran players are part of the return, trade them for more draft capital. At the same time, trade Simons and Nurkic and maybe Grant in a S&T for more draft capital. No more holding on to expensive low-level role players like they are perennial all-stars. NO MORE FUCKING STUPID FENCE-STRADDLING! Portland would have to go full tank for 2-3 more years, maybe 4-5. Get more of those top-6 lottery picks. That's the only path that would make sense
 
PCmor7 said:
A better way of explaining this is you are coming at it from the position of absolutes, but the absolutes are your opinion and cannot be proven.

No one said your idea can't work, only that it's likelihood isn't all that high. However, for you, every time it did work it's a confirmation of your desired conclusion, even if that conclusion happens 1 out of 10 times or is decades old. And, conversely, every time your desired outcome didn't happen, it was a result of some particular other factor, factors that always are at play but they only stick out to you in these cases because excuses are needed to explain why the deal for the vet didn't have the desired outcome.

I beg your pardon for having to quote you again on this, but I figured out the way I wanted to word my response after I'd already sent the previous one.
Click to expand...
I appreciate that. It may not work, but i think it's worth the try. I'm just saying there will be more one & doners that come down the line to rebuild with. Dame is a very special "proven" talent that doesn't come along very often. I just want to add proven talent to at least give it a shot of working. There's plenty of time in the future to go the other way. If there's not a future, then it's all moot point because we won't be here anyways.
 
wizenheimer said:
yes...that's generally been repeated over and over and over in this forum over the last 15 months or so.

and yes, Dame has said some things since the season ended. But he never said what you just claimed he said. OK?

**************************************************************************************************

* "Dame can’t be the best player on the team IMO"....ok, but what does that even mean? Does it mean 'he can't be the best player so let's trade him then go find a better one'? Sure looks like it but how probable is that? Portland drafted Clyde, who is the last player Portland added that was close to Dame's level. They drafted him in 1983. 29 years later, Portland drafted Dame. Essentially it took 3 decades for the Blazers to add a player as good or better than Clyde. 3 decades. And I have yet to see any reasonable explanation from the trade-Dame people just how trading Dame is going to allow Portland to draft the next Clyde or the next Dame (except for one). But more than that is that just having one player on that level isn't enough. Clyde was surrounded by much more talent on his rosters than Dame ever has and he didn't win a championship in Portland. It wasn't till he was Hakeem's sidekick that happened.

so then, in order to legitimately contend, Portland would have to go out and find two players as good as Dame. But they'd apparently have to be the right kind of players. No 6'2 PG's like Dame (or Scoot). If it took 29 years between having a player on Dame/Clyde level, how long will it take to find two?

there would be only one realistic way if it started with trading Dame, and I've said this several times: Trade Dame for the best draft capital you can. If decent veteran players are part of the return, trade them for more draft capital. At the same time, trade Simons and Nurkic and maybe Grant in a S&T for more draft capital. No more holding on to expensive low-level role players like they are perennial all-stars. NO MORE FUCKING STUPID FENCE-STRADDLING! Portland would have to go full tank for 2-3 more years, maybe 4-5. Get more of those top-6 lottery picks. That's the only path that would make sense
Click to expand...
And the rebuild could potentially take a decade or more. See OKC. 7 years and counting. Getting better, but no guaranty's.
 
tykendo said:
I find it wild how one & doner Brandon Miller is the next coming, but All NBA Pascal Siakam is chopped liver. Give me the guy i know can play and be dominant at the NBA level. And not saying Miller won't be , potentially , a great player. But i want proven now to join our generational talent . There will be more potential great one & doners in the future.
Click to expand...

Siakam is certainly not chopped liver, but for as good as he supposedly is, combined with the RoY from the previous year, an NBA All-Defensive team member, and PG left over from the title run, they were exactly .500 and the #10 seed in the East. Dame had his best year ever, with the best PF he's had since Aldrige, a 20 ppg SG, at least an average center, and we were so bad we ended up tanking. I'm not sure that taking the best players from both teams that were well below average, while shipping other assets out, is getting us anywhere near where we want to go and it will hurt the franchise long term.
 
TBpup said:
Agreed...with or without Dame. So why not get the assets from Dame to have a better shot at it later rather than trading future assets and young players out for a run at higher mediocrity? .
Click to expand...

you're making a pretty big assumption there...that being that Portland will trade "future assets and young players". And that's what Dame wants Portland to do. That seems to have been the assumption by a lot of people here

well, we have substantial reporting now that Portland had an opportunity to do that a year ago using the 7th pick as leverage for OG. But Toronto was asking for more. The Blazers turned it down and Dame thought Toronto's ask was ridiculous.

and we've 'heard' escalating rumors right now that the Blazers are VERY reluctant to trade the 3rd pick. Sure, this could be negotiating 101. But I think there might be some paranoia in this forum about just how much of the Blazers future the Blazer front office is willing to mortgage. I don't think they are nearly as willing as many of you fear. Or, another way to put it is they probably aren't as stupid as many of you believe.

Portland won't trade Sharpe. No chance, IMO. They may trade Ant and at 24 he's kind of young, but you have to imagine long-shot-upside for him to see him as a future-mortgage loss. And they may trade the 3rd pick. I doubt they will move any further into their future asset ledger. Not for the players that appear to be maybe available
 
wizenheimer said:
yes...that's generally been repeated over and over and over in this forum over the last 15 months or so.

and yes, Dame has said some things since the season ended. But he never said what you just claimed he said. OK?

**************************************************************************************************

* "Dame can’t be the best player on the team IMO"....ok, but what does that even mean? Does it mean 'he can't be the best player so let's trade him then go find a better one'? Sure looks like it but how probable is that? Portland drafted Clyde, who is the last player Portland added that was close to Dame's level. They drafted him in 1983. 29 years later, Portland drafted Dame. Essentially it took 3 decades for the Blazers to add a player as good or better than Clyde. 3 decades. And I have yet to see any reasonable explanation from the trade-Dame people just how trading Dame is going to allow Portland to draft the next Clyde or the next Dame (except for one). But more than that is that just having one player on that level isn't enough. Clyde was surrounded by much more talent on his rosters than Dame ever has and he didn't win a championship in Portland. It wasn't till he was Hakeem's sidekick that happened.

so then, in order to legitimately contend, Portland would have to go out and find two players as good as Dame. But they'd apparently have to be the right kind of players. No 6'2 PG's like Dame (or Scoot). If it took 29 years between having a player on Dame/Clyde level, how long will it take to find two?

there would be only one realistic way if it started with trading Dame, and I've said this several times: Trade Dame for the best draft capital you can. If decent veteran players are part of the return, trade them for more draft capital. At the same time, trade Simons and Nurkic and maybe Grant in a S&T for more draft capital. No more holding on to expensive low-level role players like they are perennial all-stars. NO MORE FUCKING STUPID FENCE-STRADDLING! Portland would have to go full tank for 2-3 more years, maybe 4-5. Get more of those top-6 lottery picks. That's the only path that would make sense
Click to expand...
Bingo. If we trade Dame we should expect to be bad for half a decade (minimum). Dame (and his appeal to other great players) is the best chance we have to avoid that.
 
Phatguysrule said:
Bingo. If we trade Dame we should expect to be bad for half a decade (minimum). Dame (and his appeal to other great players) is the best chance we have to avoid that.
Click to expand...
It could be argued that we have already been bad for nearly half a decade WITH Dame. We went to the WCF in 2019.
 
Natebishop3 said:
It could be argued that we have already been bad for nearly half a decade WITH Dame. We went to the WCF in 2019.
Click to expand...
We had enough talent to make the playoffs every season since then. But you're right. Olshey did a shitty job. Joe has had a hell of a mess to clean up.

If we could get enough talent to make 2-3 2nd round or better playoff runs before blowing it up that would be nice. And who knows what could happen in those 2-3 runs? Who expected Dallas to win when they got it done?

If we can't get that kind of talent together we can always move Dame and start the process now. It's going to be an interesting month. I'm glad there is a ton of pressure from Dame to get better.
 
Natebishop3 said:
It could be argued that we have already been bad for nearly half a decade WITH Dame. We went to the WCF in 2019.
Click to expand...

Portland was a 6th seed two years ago against Denver. It was never more apparent in that series that Olshey had completely and stupidly failed Dame, the Blazers, and Blazer fans. And it was never more apparent that Olshey needed to be fired and his dumb roster-vision needed to be dismantled. Too bad it took the Vulcans 8 long months to finally read the memos. Portland's mediocrity is not because of Dame...it was all Olshey and the Vulcans
 
wizenheimer said:
Portland was a 6th seed two years ago against Denver. It was never more apparent in that series that Olshey had completely and stupidly failed Dame, the Blazers, and Blazer fans. And it was never more apparent that Olshey needed to be fired and his dumb roster-vision needed to be dismantled. Too bad it took the Vulcans 8 long months to finally read the memos. Portland's mediocrity is not because of Dame...it was all Olshey and the Vulcans
Click to expand...
I never said it was because of Dame, but regardless we have been bad WITH Dame for nearly half a decade, so what difference does it make?
 
wizenheimer said:
huh?...I just explained the difference
Click to expand...
Yeah. You put the blame on Neil. That’s fine. We can’t snap our fingers and magically have a good team around Dame. He’s almost 33 and it takes time and resources to build a good team. So for someone to say that we are going to have a bad team for 5 years if we trade Dame, I say that we have had a bad team with Dame for the last 4 years. Having Dame hasn’t made a huge difference.
 
Natebishop3 said:
Yeah. You put the blame on Neil. That’s fine. We can’t snap our fingers and magically have a good team around Dame. He’s almost 33 and it takes time and resources to build a good team. So for someone to say that we are going to have a bad team for 5 years if we trade Dame, I say that we have had a bad team with Dame for the last 4 years. Having Dame hasn’t made a huge difference.
Click to expand...
What many believe is that with careful building of a proper roster the blazers have a much better chance of competing with dame earlier than without him, even if it might be just a couple of years of a window
 
andalusian said:
What many believe is that with careful building of a proper roster the blazers have a much better chance of competing with dame earlier than without him, even if it might be just a couple of years of a window
Click to expand...
Exactly! Like Dame, just want the chance to see. Plenty of time to rebuild after Dame retires. And i'm one of the older cats in here, or dogs. Sorry Sly.
 
Situational Analysis: Brandon Miller

"Most perennial playoff teams have one. Some are fortunate enough to have two. Brandon Miller is this year’s clear-cut favorite to develop into an apex predator on the wing.

Beyond his measurables (6-9, 200 with a 7-foot wingspan), the first thing you notice about Miller is his jumper. It’s perfect. He can find his balance either spotting up or off the dribble. With his high release point and repeatable fundamentals, it’s hard to envision Miller going through prolonged shooting droughts. He connected on 38.4% of his 3-point attempts on extremely high volume (7.5 per game), often on unassisted/self-created opportunities. He carries himself like a person who expects to lead his team in scoring each time he laces up his sneakers.

The stats don’t show it quite yet, but his defensive upside is quite strong, as well. He knows how to play passing lanes and rotate for weakside shot-blocking opportunities, and he has the profile of someone who can switch across multiple positions and hold his own, both on the interior and on the perimeter. He is a highly efficient offensive option with a strong basketball IQ and an unselfishness that is rare to see in players with his talent at his age.

It won’t take long into his second contract before Miller finds his name alongside the league’s best in possible All-NBA conversations. On a scale from 1-10, Miller’s shooting at his size rates at a 9."
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top