Of all the Bulls' young trade deadline additions, Leonard Miller was not the first name that came to mind as a potential breakout player in the back half of the season. Or the second name. Or the third. In fact, Miller wasn't even thought of as the most promising addition to this team in the trade that brought him to Chicago. Miller was dealt with Rob Dillingham, who hasn't done much of anything for the Bulls thus far.
Miller, meanwhile, is making the most of his minutes when they come. After all, the Bulls tried to acquire promising young players at the deadline. If Miller becomes a rotation player, then the front office will have accomplished that — not with any of the guys they thought would be rotation players, but beggars can't be choosers, I suppose.
On Tuesday, Miller posted 17 points and 11 rebounds, his first double-double with the Bulls. He's developed a nice chemistry with Josh Giddey, always seems to be moving, and made multiple timely plays against the Warriors on both ends — from his block on Gui Santos during a late third quarter push, to a transition bucket in the final minute.
Even if Miller doesn't become a star (that still seems unlikely), him becoming who the Bulls thought Patrick Williams would be when they paid him 650 million dollars would be a big win, especially considering Miller is still on a rookie scale deal and has a club option for next year — which he's already done enough to have picked up, in my opinion.
Bulls may have stumbled into a gem with Leonard Miller
There are plenty of reasons Miller was almost a first-round pick just three years ago — his size, strength, fludity, and promise of playmaking upside is a draft nerd's dream. Basically, everything we saw on display last night against the Warriors.
Some nights, Miller still looks like a raw 22 year-old because, well, that's what he is. He's played just 59 career NBA games in nearly three years, after all. It could be a red flag, surely, that he was never able to crack the Timberwolves' rotation. It could also be a positive that, even after a few years in the league, there's so much mystery surrounding Miller. Sometimes mysteries are disappointing. But sometimes they're not! Right now, the Bulls are in the fun space of finding out what exactly Miller can provide this team.
The next month will be by far the longest stretch of extended playing time Miller has ever gotten — hopefully. When Patrick Williams comes back from injury, he might eat into Miller's minutes. Whether he should is a different debate (he shouldn't).
There's really no downside to playing Leonard Miller 30 minutes per game; if he's awesome, then the Bulls stumbled upon a gem. If he's woeful, then he's helping this team do what it actually wants to do (lose).