1) Miles protected the rim. Plumlee gave the Hawks another solid option at center in the paint, one who discouraged opponents from trying to score near the rim.
There were 86 players who played 50 or more games and who defended 3 or more shots at the rim per game. Of those 86 players, Plumlee had the 4th-best field-goal percentage allowed: 53.0 percent. The Hawks were stingier, especially around the rim, when Plumlee occupied the paint.
2) Miles' offseason plan for improvement, in his own words:
3) Starting Miles at center helped the Hawks to one of their better stretches of the season
Plumlee started 34 of the Hawks' 35 games from Dec. 2 to Feb. 9. The Hawks had 13 wins – over half their season total – in those 34 games. Plumlee gave them a physical presence, and slotting him as a starter matched him up against other prototypical centers. At the same time, it put John Collins and Dewayne Dedmon together more and unlocked some of the team's most productive lineups.
4) Miles dunked a lot. Plumlee finished second on the team with 55 dunks. It's impressive that he finished with the 43rd-most dunks in the NBA this season. It's more impressive when you consider that he did it in just 918 minutes. Only two NBA players had more dunks in fewer minutes (JaVale McGee and Richaun Holmes).
5) See what we mean?