2023 NBA Draft: Get to know Brandon Miller
Overview
Brandon Miller played his lone college season at Alabama, where he led the Crimson Tide to the No. 1 overall seed in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. In 37 appearances for Alabama, Miller put up 18.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.9 blocks per game while shooting 38.4 percent from three on 7.5 attempts per game. Miller registered 14 games with at least 20 points and four games with at least 30, headlined by a season-high 41 points in a win over South Carolina on Feb. 22. In a win over Jacksonville State on Nov. 18, Miller drained seven three-pointers on his way to 28 points and eight rebounds. Later in the season, in a Jan. 14 win over LSU, Miller again hit seven 3-pointers, this time finishing with 31 points and nine boards. At the end of the season, Miller was named the SEC Player of the Year, SEC Freshman of the Year, SEC Tournament MVP and a consensus All-American. As a high school senior, Miller was named Mr. Basketball in the state of Tennessee. He went on to play in both the Jordan Classic and the McDonald’s All-American Game.
Analysis
An elite scorer who’s equally comfortable attacking the rim as he is launching threes, Miller has excellent size at 6-foot-9 with a wingspan approaching seven feet. While he’ll need to eventually add weight, Miller is already a crafty scorer who uses his length and athleticism to get to the hoop and finish over and around defenders. Scoring is his calling card, but Miller is a willing passer who displays high-level vision traits as a ballhandler and in the pick and roll. Mechanics-wise, Miller’s jumpshot is nearly flawless, and his three-point (38.4%) and free-throw (85.9%) percentages portend borderline-elite shooting at the next level. Defensively, Miller is active and engaged and should have the size to keep up with most NBA wings.
Projection
If not for Victor Wembanyama, Miller would be firmly in the conversation for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. While he wasn’t necessarily in that discussion entering his freshman season, Miller quickly established himself as the best player in college basketball. A projected top-three pick, Miller is the type of prospect who will likely start and handle a heavy workload from Day 1. Miller’s game very closely resembles that of Paul George, almost to an uncanny degree. He also displays shades of Brandon Ingram, Andrew Wiggins and Buddy Hield.
2023 NBA Draft Prospect Highlights: Brandon Miller
— Profile by RotoWire