Timberwolves start, bench, cut: McDaniels, Brown Jr., Miller
By Bret Stuter
Cut: Leonard Miller
In the grand scheme of things, there is nobody in the Timberwolves organization that will endorse releasing rookie forward Leonard Miller. But that is not to say that playing time will come easily for the young rookie either.
Rookie forward Leonard Miller arrives on the Timberwolves roster at the tender age of just 19 years old. Standing 6-foot-11 and weighing 212 pounds, he could grow to a height of 7-foot-1 or taller. That is what makes his playing time so challenging to pinpoint this season.
While he is likely a small forward in his rookie season, Miller has the size to compete as an NBA center, the ball-handling skills to compete as an NBA point guard, and the agility, strength, and versatility to compete at any NBA position in between.
Because he is so young, so talented, and so very versatile, the Timberwolves may assign Leonard Miller to their G-League affiliate, the Iowa Wolves if for nothing else than to get a sense of which NBA positions he is most suited to compete in the NBA.
Of course, he has some NBA-ready abilities right out of the gate. While competing for the 2023 Minnesota Timberwolves Summer League team, he averaged 25.0 minutes, 15.4 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.8 blocks, while shooting 36.8 percent from the perimeter. Imagine his numbers when he has been a three-year NBA veteran at 22 years old.
I would not be the least bit shocked to discover that rookie Leonard Miller will be splitting his time between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Iowa Wolves. Miller will need playing time to refine his skillset, and I fear that he will not have access to enough minutes on the Timberwolves roster alone.
How do you see it? Let us know in the comments section of our Facebook page.
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