2023 NBA Draft Scouting Report: Brandon Miller

*While Brandon Miller has been exonerated of any crime, it’s important to note that because of Brandon’s friends and an unwillingness to speak up, there’s a young boy that is no longer able to see his Mom. Rest in peace to Jamea Jonae Harris.

Overview

Brandon Miller played college ball at Alabama, the Tennessee native is 20.5 years old, and he’s also one of my favorite watches in the 2023 draft. In my opinion, he’s a can’t miss prospect, he’s #2 on my big board and is closer to tier 1 than he is to tier 3. He is a great example of how the game has changed, he has a rare blend of size, athleticism, and touch that will make all NBA executives salivate.

Brandon is the type of player that embodies positionless basketball, his height and length don’t make sense when you see his ball skills, Brandon can score at every level and makes tough shots look extremely easy.

Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images

Measurements

Height: 6’9”

Weight: 200

Wingspan: 6’11”

Stats

PPG: 18.8

RPG: 8.2

APG: 2.1

3pt % 38.4

2pt % 43.0

FT % 85.9 !!!

That height and efficiency are almost unheard of, Brandon is tall and long and scores at an elite clip. It’s unfair who he reminds me of, but to me, it’s very similar to a Paul George or a Kevin Durant. While a tiny bit smaller than Durant, his shooting efficiency is comparable, and while thinner than Paul George, his smoothness and handle are extremely comparable.

Strengths

Shooting – Brandon is an absurd scorer, his best strength is his shooting, 38% on 7.5 3’s per game is incredibly nice. Klay Thompson shot the same amount of 3’s per game at 39% in college. My favorite shooting stat of Brandon’s is his just under 86% from the free throw line, this tells me a lot about his form, it’s elite for a college player and is even more special when you factor in his height and weight.

Watch this video of Brandon’s effortless shooting and try not to cry tears of joy

Transition offense – Miller is terrifying in transition, he’s way too fast and big to try and stop on your own. He also is athletic enough to do the jump from a mile away and dunk the heck out of the ball type of thing. He also shows the touch to throw an alley-oop if necessary, his playmaking on fast breaks is one of his most underrated skills.

Rebounds – 8.2 rebounds per game is good in college, it’s something that is nice for a player that is 6’9” it’s really special when you think about how Miller was either off the ball or on the perimeter for a lot of defensive possessions, this means he had to put in extra effort to travel to the ball and out rebound other players, this is impressive and makes me feel good about his effort when he gets to the next level.

Weaknesses

Playmaking – The word weakness isn’t appropriate when describing Brandon’s game, I’d love to see more than 2.1 Assists per game, but it’s admittedly a nitpick on my part. He displayed awesome playmaking in transition, I’d love to see a bit more point forward or point guard type play on his part. (This weakness will probably be gone by the time he leaves Summer League play)

Weight – There will be times when his weight won’t be enough for him in the big leagues, he’s a thin build that will most definitely get pushed around by guys like Giannis and Lebron. Wouldn’t be shocked to see him fill out his frame as he begins an NBA diet and workout regimen.

That’s all the weaknesses I can really care about, I’ve truly studied Brandon, and I’m not sure I see enough weakness to write about. Would I like to see a bit more than .9 in both steals and blocks per game? Sure! That would be nice, but to say his defense is a liability would be wrong of me, I think his length and athleticism will help him have more steals and blocks in the NBA game.

Conclusion

I admittedly see Brandon in a brighter light than some, if the lottery Gods bless us with the #2 pick I wouldn’t think twice before drafting Brandon Miller. He would fit seamlessly around Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler, his size would be exactly what the Jazz would want in order to get longer and taller, and his lights-out shooting would be the perfect thing to help the Jazz thrive.

We currently sit at the #9 best odds in the upcoming NBA draft lottery. The lottery is on Tuesday, May 16th @ 6:30 PM. If there’s a way we jump into the top 3, don’t be surprised to see Brandon Miller in a Jazz jersey.