The Chicago Bulls acquired seven players at this year's trade deadline, but Leonard Miller was largely overshadowed by bigger names like Anfernee Simons, Jaden Ivey and Rob Dillingham. With his recent string of performances, however, Miller is forcing Bulls fans to take notice.
But who, exactly, is Leonard Miller?
Miller landed in Chicago alongside Dillingham and four second-round picks in the trade that sent Ayo Dosunmu to the Minnesota Timberwolves. He wasn't a throw-in per se, but he wasn't the main piece, either. That distinction went to Dillingham.
An overwhelming number of second-round picks flooding into the Windy City gave fans even more minutiae to sift through.
But Miller's recent breakout has made him an intriguing player who could stick long-term next to Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis.
Revisiting Leonard Miller as a draft prospect
The San Antonio Spurs selected Miller with the 33rd overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft before trading him to Minnesota for a pair of future second-rounders. It's easy to see the appeal in a 6-foot-10 forward with a 7-foot-2 wingspan and wing-like athleticism.
Miller averaged 18.0 points and 11.0 rebounds in 24 games with the G League Ignite, playing next to Scoot Henderson.
As with many prospects, his 3-point shooting was a question mark, but Miller had plenty of other attractive attributes: He's an aggressive rebounder, excellent finisher, intelligent cutter, transition threat, and he can act as a screener or ball handler in pick-and-rolls.
Breaking down Miller's recent surge with the Bulls
The Ontario native has played in 61 NBA games and owns career averages of 3.1 points and 1.8 rebounds. He's played 397 total minutes.
But in his last three games (all starts), Miller averaged 15.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 35.0 minutes per contest while shooting 64.3 percent on 2-pointers. He had a double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds in a win over Golden State on March 10 — six of those rebounds came on the offensive glass.
The 22-year-old has flashed all the tools that made him an enticing prospect. He has a nose for rebounds, can finish at the rim, has scored easy points off smart cuts and makes an impact in the open floor.
Perhaps most promising: More than 50 percent of his 3-point tries this season have come from the corners, and he's connected on 42.9 percent of them.
Even if he never becomes a great shooter, simply being a threat from the corner will allow him to space the floor and use his skill set as an aggressive attacker and finisher.
Why Leonard Miller fits Chicago's young core
The trio of Miller, Giddey and Buzelis has played 68 minutes together over the last three games, the most of any three-man combination.
While they haven't blown the doors off statistically, it's easy to see why Billy Donovan is taking an extended look at that group.
There's elite size with Giddey at 6-8, and Buzelis and Miller at 6-10, the latter two being excellent athletes. Each is a major transition threat. They're all excellent rebounders who can lead a fast break.
All three can attack the rim and finish. Giddey and Buzelis are efficient shooters from deep, and as a burgeoning corner threat, Miller can help space the floor. Having two jumbo forwards who can defend multiple positions at the same time is a boost to a bad defensive team.
Bulls fans should be paying attention to Miller — he may be in Chicago for the foreseeable future.