There may not be one single Chicago Bulls fan who believes the Arturas Karnisovas regime was a success. But AK and Marc Eversley may have left all those fans a parting gift in the form of Leonard Miller.
Miller was, at the time, a neglected piece of the trade that sent Ayo Dosunmu to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The more-heralded young player in that deal was point guard Rob Dillingham, a top-10 pick in the 2024 draft.
Miller arrived in the Windy City having played only 84 total minutes across two NBA seasons. He never found his footing with the Wolves; the hope from Chicago's perspective was that a change of scenery would help jump-start his career.
Eight months later, that hope has become reality — and then some. Miller hasn’t just improved. He’s forcing the new front office to view him in a brand new light.
Leonard Miller is playing his way into the Bulls rotation
It’s not like Miller wasn't an intriguing talent after his lone season with the now-defunct G League Ignite. A 6-foot-10 power forward with a 7-2 wingspan, high-level athleticism and a non-stop motor would interest any front office.
He was promising enough for Minnesota to take a chance on him with the 33rd overall selection.
As a developmental prospect, though, he was buried behind Karl-Anthony Towns, Julius Randle, Naz Reid and Kyle Anderson in the rotation of a team fighting to win a championship.
But he’s quickly taken off since leaving a contending franchise for a rebuilding one.
In 27 games last season with the Bulls, Miller started 12 times and averaged 23.1 minutes per contest. Unsurprisingly, his production jumped along with the increase in playing time.
The Ontario native averaged a whopping 1.6 points and 1.0 rebounds in his two years with the Wolves. Those numbers rose to 11.7 and 5.8, respectively, in Chicago.
Preseason sample size alert, but Miller is averaging 17.5 points and 6.5 rebounds on 65.1 percent shooting (28-for-43) in four exhibition games. He's also 9-for-15 from 3-point range. He’s arguably been the Bulls' best player in October.
Miller could be a significant part of the Bulls future
If everything goes according to plan, Caleb Wilson and Matas Buzelis will be Chicago’s starting forward pairing for the next decade.
If Miller stays on this trajectory, he could make that pair a trifecta.
His size, strength and athleticism make him a nice complement to Buzelis and Wilson. Those two are more comfortable working on the perimeter and beating defenders off the dribble. Miller is more comfortable near the rim, using his frame and motor to vacuum up offensive rebounds and finish efficiently. He grabbed nearly two offensive rebounds per game last year and shot 55 percent from the field.
And don't sleep on his improving 3-point stroke, particularly from the corners — he shot 48.6 percent last season.
Karnisovas didn't do much to help the Bulls. If anything, he set them back a handful of years. But Miller is proving to be a shrewd acquisition and a nice parting gift for all those (rightly) disappointed fans.
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