Leonard Miller, are you ready to save the Chicago Bulls franchise? No pressure if not, just thought I would ask.
That's admittedly dramatic; Miller, the 22 year-old power forward, played just 27 games for the Bulls this year after coming over from Minnesota in the Ayo Dosunmu trade. Granted, he was about as impressive as Bulls fans could have hoped for in those 27 games, averaging 11.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, and hitting one 3-pointer per game on a 35% clip.
Not All-Star numbers, of course. But with Rob Dillingham — who was ostensibly the headline return for Dosunmu — not playing like a big part of this team's future, Miller's late-season surge makes it feel like, at least, the Bulls didn't give Ayo away to a contender for free.
Plus, Miller has played 76 NBA games total. That's not even one full season! He still exists mostly as an unknown, and he was always going to be a project when he was drafted No. 33 overall by the Timberwolves in 2023. Suddenly, Miller has turned into the big return for Dosunmu. I don't think the old front office did that on purpose, but whatever works at this point, right?
Prepare for Leonard Miller to get serious run next year
His team option has been picked up, so Miller will be back next season, and I foresee him getting lots of run. Next season is going to be a major "let's see what we have" year for the Bulls. Miller, Noa Essengue, Lachlan Olbrich, and whoever else the Bulls nab in the draft are going to have green lights to figure out exactly where they fit in this team's plans.
Miller fell a bit in the 2023 NBA Draft, but plenty of experts saw him as a first-round talent. There have been plenty of moments during his tenure with the Bulls that remind everyone why. A 6-foot-10 forward with shooting touch and playmaking potential is the kind of guy front offices search high and low for. The Bulls may have basically stumbled into one in Miller.
I am choosing to think of next year as Miller's second year in the NBA. It's his fourth, of course, but let's just smash all three of his seasons so far into one, and say he's entering his sophomore season. From a "minutes played" perspective (and an age perspective), he basically is.
Bulls fans roundly disliked the Ayo Dosunmu trade, because on its surface it appeared the team traded a good guard for a bad guard. I'm hesitant to give the now-departed front office credit for this one; nonetheless, Miller is basically saving that deal from being an abject disaster.
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