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The Bulls of Summer: Patrick Miller

By Daniel Coughlin

Dec 3, 2014; South Bend, IN, USA; NBA former player John Paxson chats with Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo before the game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the Purcell Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 3, 2014; South Bend, IN, USA; NBA former player John Paxson chats with Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo before the game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the Purcell Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /
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On Thursday, the Chicago Bulls announced their Las Vegas Summer League roster which includes Patrick Miller. The list of 11 players includes several players who are expected to play a significant role for the Bulls now and in the future along with a handful of longshots and D-League bound fringe ballers.

The Bulls will play at least five games in Las Vegas between July 9 and July 18, the first three games are already scheduled, beginning with a matchup on July 9 against the Boston Celtics.

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A lot of people may be familiar with names like Jerian Grant or Denzel Valentine, but not everyone knows players like Jack Cooley. Over the next few days we will give you the 4-1-1 on each of the players on the Bulls roster for Summer League.

Who: Patrick Miller
Position: Guard
Age: 24

Background: Miller is an experienced young guard, having played four years in college in addition to spending time in Europe and playing last season in the NBA D-League for the Texas Legends.

It’s not surprising that the Bulls would be giving Miller a look. He is a Chicago native who played his prep ball for Hales Franciscan. After high school, Miller spent four years at Tennessee State. If that school sounds familiar, it is probably because another player who was there during Miller’s first three season is Philadelphia favorite, Robert Covington.

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    • During his senior year, Miller really took off. He averaged 23.7 points, up 8.9 points from his junior year, along with 4.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists on 44.7 percent shooting. Miller’s strength scoring was inside the arc. He only shot 33.6 percent from 3-point range during his senior season despite his impressive scoring average.

    After his senior year at Tennessee state, 2013-14, Miller played a few games for Turkish club Besiktas in the Eurocup during the 2014-15 season. After that disappointment, he moved back to the NBA via the D-League. In 2015-16, Miller played 47 games for the Legends, averaging 26.1 minutes. He averaged 11.5 points, 4.1 assists and 3.4 rebounds for Texas. His 3-point shooting jumped all the way to 42.4 percent, but that was on three fewer attempts per game than his senior year at Tennessee State.

    Next: Summer Bull: Jerian Grant

    Outlook: For so many players in the D-League, there is a lot of talent but somewhere along the way they developed some fatal flaw. It might be work ethic, might be a particular skill, or it might be genetics. Miller isn’t without his issues – the 3-point shooting, losing the assist-to-turnover ratio in a big way, and his size.

    Miller is ‘only’ 6’1” which is a sure-fire way to make sure that your road to the NBA is going to be much harder than a guy with the same skill set that just so happens to be 6’4”. It isn’t a lost cause for Miller, but he isn’t going to Vegas with a shot at a locker in the United Center, this is probably going to end up being his audition for the Windy City Bulls, the recently created D-League affiliate of the Chicago Bulls. While Miller was with the Texas Legends last season, he would make a great addition to the Windy City roster and being a Chicago native, it would probably be a welcome opportunity for a young man who has spent a decent portion of his young adult life in Tennessee and Turkey.

    Players like Jerian Grant, Bobby Portis and Cristiano Felicio are getting reps in at the Las Vegas Summer League in preparation for the upcoming season in the Association, but a player like Miller is going to be using this time to lock up a spot in Hoffman Estates – where Windy City plays.

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