https://theathletic.com/3277809/2022/05/02/2022-nba-draft-big-board-jabari-smith-chet-holmgren/BIG BOARD
18
Tari Eason, LSU
Walker Kessler, Auburn
20Patrick Baldwin, Milwaukee
21Jake LaRavia, Wake Forest
22Kendall Brown, Baylor
23Bryce McGowens, Nebraska
24Blake Wesley, Notre Dame
25Jalen Williams, Santa Clara
26Terquavion Smith, NC State
27MarJon Beauchamp, G League Ignite
28Dalen Terry, Arizona
29Kennedy Chandler, Tennessee
30Jaden Hardy, G League Ignite
31Nikola Jovic, Mega
32Trevor Keels, Duke
33E.J. Liddell, Ohio State
34Jean Montero, Overtime Elite
35Wendell Moore, Duke
36Christian Koloko, Arizona
37Ryan Rollins, Toledo
38Harrison Ingram, Stanford
39Christian Braun, Kansas
40Max Christie, Michigan State
41Josh Minott, Memphis
42Jaylin Williams, Arkansas
43Justin Lewis, Marquette
44
Peyton Watson, UCLA
45Leonard Miller, Fort Erie Prep
Leonard Miller (No. 45): Forget Sharpe: This is actually the Canadian man of the mystery in this class. Miller is a truly polarizing prospect who some evaluators are extremely interested in and others think is so far away developmentally that he should not be in this draft class. Miller is a 6-foot-10-ish wing who is a very high-level upside swing because of his instincts as a scorer and guard skills at his size. Having undergone a significant growth spurt over the last couple of years to his current height, it’s clear Miller is still learning how to use his newfound size. Playing this past year at Fort Erie Prep in the Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association, he essentially acted as a point forward who was responsible for creating most of the offense for his team.
There, he was largely successful because he was just bigger, more athletic and more skilled than everyone in the league. He’d get to play against guys who were 6-foot-6 or shorter, and he just had an exceptionally easy time seeing over the top of them, extending past them or shooting over them. His tape with Fort Erie displays a very talented player, but one who is clearly without limitation because he is, by a drastic margin, the most talented player in the league. Because of that, you’ll see him dominate for long stretches, then also throw some mind-numbingly bad passes that make you wonder what in the world he was even seeing. And don’t even get started on the shot mechanics. His shot prep is among the worst in this draft class. Every time he rises, it looks different from the previous shot. He clearly has real touch, but his weight transfer and balance almost always look off.
Luckily, scouts got to see him throughout the year at a few different events that gave them a better feel for where he’s at, the most recent one being Nike Hoop Summit. Scouts there came away with the general feeling that he was arguably the most intriguing long-term player on the World Team, but it was a World Team that paled in comparison to some past iterations from a talent perspective. Throughout the week of practice, sources indicated that he showcased many of the flashes you can see on tape in Ontario, but his overall performance was all over the map and didn’t inspire much confidence that he’d be able to make an impact in an NBA setting any time soon.
As a prospect, the thing that worries me most about Miller is the intersection of strength and explosiveness. He’s extremely skinny but also isn’t particularly explosive as an athlete. Unlike shot prep, that’s something you probably can’t fix. However, the thing that intrigues me most is that he plays with strong change of pace and has an intriguing, herky-jerky style that allows him to separate from defenders, and his size allows him to shoot over the top. At this stage, his game is one of contradictions. He changes pace well but doesn’t have much explosion. He has touch but horrible shot prep and balance that will require a lot of work to bring consistency. He can make some intriguing passing reads, but he’s still just extremely wild as a ballhandler and decision-maker. Defensively, he has awesome tools but just lacked a real, consistent engagement level all the time. His best moments make him look like the kind of big initiator whom teams love. His worst moments make you wonder if he’d even be an effective college basketball player consistently next year. He’s a pure project in every sense of the word right now.
But is he a project worth undertaking for NBA teams in this draft? Is he intriguing enough for teams to make an informed bet on him? Miller is declaring for the 2022 NBA Draft but is retaining his collegiate eligibility to potentially attend school next year. He’s additionally considering using a gap year in regard to the draft and turning pro and playing with either the G League Ignite or Overtime Elite. Unquestionably, you would think he is looking for some sort of assurance before giving up his eligibility. If I were advising Miller, I think Overtime Elite makes a lot of sense if no team steps up to the plate with a first-round promise. Another year to develop his craft in a relatively low-stakes environment — especially given the work they did this past season with a player we’re about to discuss in a moment — could really benefit his transition to the NBA. I would expect he will be invited to the NBA Draft Combine, and how his pre-draft process looks while competing against other good prospects on the workout circuit will play a critical role in whether or not he ends up in this class. He’s so polarizing for scouts at this point that I think anywhere from No. 20 to 60 is the range. It’s possible one team loves him enough to just take the plunge and go for it. I don’t think he’d go unselected. But scouts feel so differently about him that it’s really tough to get an overall handle at this early stage.
