Minnesota Sports Forum

Q-is-here wrote: ↑Tue Jul 04, 2023 5:12 pm

60WinTim wrote: ↑Tue Jul 04, 2023 5:00 pm

Lipoli390 wrote: ↑Tue Jul 04, 2023 11:01 am Josh Minott interview:

https://youtu.be/8Cc6DU5_PJ4

Minott and Miller are both talented AND smart. It will be fun to watch them in Summer League.

I almost posted that interview under a "Summer Training Camp" thread. Josh has always been so mature and self-aware in his interviews. I know many people have dismissed him as being able to crack the rotation this coming season, but I think he has a chance to push Brown for some minutes. It should be a very entertaining summer league.

C - Rudy, KAT, Naz
PF - KAT, Anderson, Naz
SF - McDaniels, Ant, Anderson
SG - Ant, NAW
PG - Conley, Milton

I think that's your 9-man regular rotation. Brown and Minott will need injuries to occur before they get anything besides spot minutes. In Josh's case, I think he's absolutely "next man up" if one of the true bigs gets hurt since he is mostly a PF in my mind. Brown will get minutes of Jaden gets dinged up.

I think that’s about right, Q. But I could easily see Anderson slide into the #3 or even #2 PG slot depending on how JMac and Milton perform early. I could see JMac sliding out of the rotation. If Milton gets hurt, I would expect Anderson to slide into the backup PG role and that would open up an opportunity for Minott at the SF position. Your position is mainly defined by who you can defend and I have no doubt Minott has the quickness, athleticism and tenacity to guard NBA SFs. His developing skill set bodes well for him as a potential SF on the offensive end as well.

It’s clear that both Minott and Miller have a chip on their respective shoulders about lack of respect. I like it because it’s part of what fuels them to push themselves. Here’s my favorite recent comment from Miller. It’s reflects both the chip on his shoulder and his confidence:

Jon Krawczynski: Leonard Miller was asked if he felt a lack of respect for being a second-round pick: “People are about to respect me when they see what I can do.” 2 days ago – via Twitter JonKrawczynski

Zach Harper on Leonard Miller’s summer league performance:

“It made zero sense that Leonard Miller fell to the second round, and he flashed in a big way as a teenager throughout summer league. He’s an aggressive rebounder, and his athletic tools within his 6-foot-10 frame really stand out even on an NBA court. He picked up right where he left off at the end of the G League season, where he was one of the most productive players in the competition over the last two months. He hit 37 percent from 3, showing solid touch from the perimeter. There are some things he’ll need to work through, such as his decision-making on drives and his continued defensive awareness. But this looks like a perfect fit for Miller’s skill set, as coach Chris Finch will empower the 6-foot-10 playmaker to grab and go off the glass and try to start the break with aggression.”

And this from an SB Nation report on the top rookies from summer league:

9. Leonard Miller, F, Minnesota Timberwolves

"Miller’s game is simply too funky to fit into a box — which might be why he somehow slipped to the second round. The Timberwolves were thrilled to select the versatile forward at No. 33, and what felt like a steal on draft night continued to look like one in Summer League. The 6’10 forward showed his unique mix of skills, handling and passing the ball on the perimeter like a guard, crashing the glass like a big man, and exhibiting deft touch in the paint. The biggest surprise of all is that Miller’s three-point shot was actually falling at a decent clip: he hit 7-of-19 attempts for a 36.8 percent rate.

The outside shot will continue to be the biggest area of improvement for Miller. Even when it’s falling, it doesn’t exactly look smooth coming out of his hands. At the same time, Miller is so big, so skilled as a handler and passer, and so off-beat in the way he attacks the basket that he can still be an effective forward even if the shot never fully comes around. It’s still hard to believe he slipped to round two after a standout year for the G League Ignite."

Both Jon K and Kyle Theige have reported that Miller has already improved his stock around the league.

A deep dive into Miller:

https://theswishtheory.com/nba-draft/20 ... rojection/

I’m excited about Miller’s potential. But his shot looks terrible even though it’s been going in at a good clip. He has a middle school shooting form. It’s not going to be sustainable in the NBA. So he’ll need to fundamentally alter his shooting stroke and that will take time.

While I’m more excited about Miller than Minott long term, I’m still excited about Minott. Here’s what the Wolves Summer League head coach recently said about Minott:

Wolves SL coach Max Lefevre on Josh Minott playing passing lanes:

"It's crazy, he can get as many deflections as he wants. He has very quick hands and obviously great length... When he's locked-in and he's in a stance, he can get anywhere before anybody else on the floor."

Minott is close right now to being what Vando was for us, but with a better offensive skill set. Minott’s mechanics and exuberance are his only issues on defense. Max Lefevre’s comment touches on the mechanical aspect: “when he’s locked in and he’s in a stance…” That’s an important caveat to Minott’s otherwise impressive defensive attributes, but it’s fixable. Too often Minott doesn’t get into a balanced, defensive stance. The exuberance, which leads to foul trouble and biting on fakes, is just his youth and high energy, which can be controlled and harnessed.

Miller is a 19 year old who would be entering his second year of college now. Minott is a 20 year old who would be entering his 3rd year of college after playing very little his first year. I remain bullish on both long term, but I don’t expect either one to help the NBA Wolves until the 2024-25 season or perhaps the second half of next season.

The young players I’m counting on for next season are Ant, Jaden, Naz, and NAW. I want to see Ant continue his upward trajectory towards stardom. I want to see Jaden take a big step forward as a shot creator and rebounder. I want to see the Naz we saw late last season before his hand injury. And I want to see NAW continue to be the defender we saw in the playoffs last season while also developing a consistent perimeter shot and further refining his ball skills. Ant will turn 22 next month. Jaden will turn 23 at the end of September. Naz Reid will turn 24 next month. NAW will turn 25 in early September. All four are proven NBA players with Ant a bona fide all-star and Jaden a top defender. Based on their ages and years of experience all four still have considerable upside potential. Meanwhile, Miller and Minott remain high-upside prospects who just aren’t ready yet to contribute at the NBA level.

TheFuture wrote: ↑Sat Jul 22, 2023 12:44 pm A deep dive into Miller:

https://theswishtheory.com/nba-draft/20 ... rojection/

That was an interesting read thanks for posting. I do agree that Miller has good touch. It’s definitely something I’ve noticed.

Monster wrote: ↑Sat Jul 22, 2023 1:25 pm

TheFuture wrote: ↑Sat Jul 22, 2023 12:44 pm A deep dive into Miller:

https://theswishtheory.com/nba-draft/20 ... rojection/

That was an interesting read thanks for posting. I do agree that Miller has good touch. It’s definitely something I’ve noticed.

Very fun and informative read. Thanks for posting. Here’s what I’d consider the most telling passage when it comes to evaluating Miller’s one glaring weakness - namely 3-point or long 2-point shooting:

Leonard has good touch and bad energy transfer/rotational torque. I’m no Chip England, but this is a far brighter picture than what the numbers portray. Core stability seems like an issue that can be fixed, and he also has insane touch- not just good touch, but borderline ridiculous touch. Fixing a shot mechanically is tough, but having the underlying elite touch makes it much lower hanging fruit than for a true “non shooter.”

Miller needs to completely revamp his perimeter shooting mechanics and that wont’ be easy. I’d add that he also needs to develop better defensive instincts as he too often rotates or closes out too late. But as the article points out, there’s a lot to like in Miller’s tool box.

Lipoli390 wrote: ↑Sat Jul 22, 2023 10:27 pm

Monster wrote: ↑Sat Jul 22, 2023 1:25 pm

TheFuture wrote: ↑Sat Jul 22, 2023 12:44 pm A deep dive into Miller:

https://theswishtheory.com/nba-draft/20 ... rojection/

That was an interesting read thanks for posting. I do agree that Miller has good touch. It’s definitely something I’ve noticed.

Very fun and informative read. Thanks for posting. Here’s what I’d consider the most telling passage when it comes to evaluating Miller’s one glaring weakness - namely 3-point or long 2-point shooting:

Leonard has good touch and bad energy transfer/rotational torque. I’m no Chip England, but this is a far brighter picture than what the numbers portray. Core stability seems like an issue that can be fixed, and he also has insane touch- not just good touch, but borderline ridiculous touch. Fixing a shot mechanically is tough, but having the underlying elite touch makes it much lower hanging fruit than for a true “non shooter.”

Miller needs to completely revamp his perimeter shooting mechanics and that wont’ be easy. I’d add that he also needs to develop better defensive instincts as he too often rotates or closes out too late. But as the article points out, there’s a lot to like in Miller’s tool box.

Yeah, a Wizard of Oz heel click doesn't just go away. That part is alarming.