Truth be told, Leonard Miller was never given a fair shake with the Minnesota Timberwolves. During his three-year tenure with the Wolves, Miller played just 179 minutes. In all fairness, finding minutes for a second-round pick on a team with title aspirations with a loaded frontcourt is tricky. Being traded to the Chicago Bulls gave Miller a golden opportunity to rejuvenate his career.
Initially, it looked like it would be much of the same for Miller, who received three DNPs in his first seven games with the Bulls. However, of late, Miller has been a revelation for Chicago. In the past eight games, Miller is averaging 25.2 minutes, 11 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.4 assists. Furthermore, Miller is on a heater in the past three games, averaging 15.3 points.
It sure looks like the Bulls found a diamond in the rough with Miller.
Leonard Miller is showcasing his upside with the Bulls
Despite not playing much in Minnesota, the 22-year-old always had some level of upside and intrigue. He is a 6-foot-10 forward with a 7-foot-2 wingspan. Miller has the ideal physical tools and athleticism to thrive in the modern NBA as a versatile wing.
In Chicago, he's showcasing some of his upside as a versatile wing stopper and defensive playmaker. Perhaps more impressively, though, he's been putting it together on offense. Miller has especially shown proficiency as a rim finisher, averaging an absurd 89.3 percent at the rim.
While Miller has shown to be a quality finisher both in half-court and transition, he especially excels in transition. Miller has connected on just 29.6 percent of his 3-point attempts during his time in Chicago. As such, this remains a clear area of growth.
Nevertheless, Miller looks to be a real rotational forward and has certainly exceeded expectations with the Bulls.
Did the Timberwolves botch Leonard Miller's development?
Amid Miller's hot stretch with the Bulls, I see many Timberwolves fans pointing to this as a slight against Chris Finch. At the surface level, I get it, you see a guy who didn't play any meaningful minutes thriving on his new team. However, playing Miller wasn't feasible for the Timberwolves.
We saw how hard it was to develop young talent, including Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr., this season. Giving young players big minutes is necessary for their growth, but it also cuts into winning. The Wolves' loaded frontcourt made it even more challenging for Miller. Plus, while it's awesome that the Wolves have remained fairly healthy in recent years, this further made giving Miller minutes difficult.
The Wolves' tendency to play down to their opponents added yet another layer of complexity to the situation. Sure, Miller could have gotten a few more minutes, but the Wolves would never have been able to fully support his development.
Simply put, the Timberwolves were never the right team for Miller to thrive with, but it's nice to see that he's carving out a role in the NBA.