High-Profile Freshman Brandon Miller's Versatility is His Biggest Asset
Alabama basketball head coach Nate Oats and his staff hit the recruiting trail hard for the latest group of prospects, reeling in the third-ranked recruiting class in the country according to 247Sports' composite rankings.
The Class of 2022 is considered one of the best in school history, and highlighted by its crown jewel, wing Brandon Miller.
Miller was a consensus top tier/five-star talent across all major recruiting services and finished his senior season ranked as the No. 14 overall player in the class. He was also selected to participate in the 2022 McDonald's All-American Game.
From Antioch, Tennessee, Miller played high school basketball for Cane Ridge High School, and averaged 26.3 points per game to go along with 7.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 2.1 steals, and 1.5 blocks per contest as well.
Miller also played for Brad Beal EYBL last summer as a part of the Nike EYBL Circuit, where many of the stars of tomorrow suit up when their high school season end. Miller averaged 12.9 points and 8.9 rebounds per game for Brad Beal EYBL while playing alongside many of the nation's other top high school players, including Arkansas signee Nick Smith Jr.
His size at 6-foot-9 and 200 pounds provides the ideal mold for bigger wings in modern-day basketball, as teams have begun prioritizing length and versatility to give opposing teams nearly unstoppable mismatches on both ends of the floor.
Miller's game truly has a smooth feel to it, as he effortlessly glides across the court with his long and athletic frame. His biggest strength is his mid-range shot, which may surprise Alabama fans who know Oats' hesitancy towards that shot due to the analytics that support moving away from it. Nevertheless, Miller's savviness between 10 and 15 feet from the basket can't be overlooked and will certainly be utilized as a new facet to Alabama's offense.
He also has a decent handle in spite of his height, and has well enough vision to be able to play a point-forward role who can bring the ball up and initiate the offense. Once he gets downhill Miller can finish well in traffic and through contact, and is a very capable rebounder.
His three-point shooting is not necessarily his biggest strength, but Miller certainly has the capabilities to knock down shots from beyond the arc at a decent rate. His length will provide a boost defensively with his ability to easily fill passing lanes to cause deflections and alter the shots of smaller players.
Here are some plays that help better visualize his game in comparison to his scouting report:
The two above plays showcase Miller's mid-range game and the versatility it adds to an offense.
In the first play, Miller took a pass on the wing and drove to his left, and because he has a reliable mid-range shot he pulled up from about 10 feet from the basket instead of forcing a contested layup against a large defender.
In the second play, he had the ball in isolation with the shot clock running down. For most players this would be an ill-advised shot with a hand in his face, but Miller showed his ability to knock down difficult jumpers in pressure situations as he hit the fadeaway after spinning away from his defender.
Mid-range shots are not the best for an offense analytically, but when you have a player like Miller with that shot as one of the best weapons in his arsenal, it can be used wisely as a new dimension of the offense rather than a reliance that could become detrimental.
The three-point shot is obviously incredibly important to Alabama's offense as the Crimson Tide ranked sixth in the country last season in three-pointers attempted per game.
These two clips show that while Miller may not be a knockdown shooter like John Petty Jr. or Jaden Shackelford, his long ball at least has to be respected by opposing defenses.
In the first clip, Miller's opponent played a 2-3 zone and sagged off Miller on the wing without a hand up to defend him. Miller reacted by pulling up and knocked the shot down.
In the second play, Miller initially ran and pick-and-pop to get himself open on the wing. The play took some extra time to develop, but he relocated back to the wing to find open space to make the shot.
As mentioned earlier, Miller's vision and handle have him well equipped enough to play a point-forward type roll when called upon. With his size he can initiate the offense and exploit huge mismatches. Alabama lacked a player with this mold last season, but in 2021, Herb Jones Jr. was used to create mismatches with his size offensively. Miller could be used similarly.
In the play above, his vision and passing ability were on display as he read a routine pick-and-roll and threaded a pass through a few defenders to find his open teammate on the block for an easy layup. This should be a common set by Alabama after last year's tendency to run the pick-and-roll with center Charles Bediako.
A common trait among Crimson Tide wings since Oats took over is that they have all been good defenders. Jones, Petty, Josh Primo, and Keon Ellis have all had a knack for using their length to create havoc for opposing offenses.
Miller has the potential to be an incredible defender, and already has the tools to make a defensive impact from day one.
The above play is simple, Miller read the eyes of the opposing guards and got his landing in the passing lane to create a deflection and a steal. While it looks routine, the impact that consistent plays like this have can't be underestimated.
If Miller buys into the defensive end with his effort like Oats preaches, he can be a brutal force for the rest of college basketball on that end of the floor when effort is combined with his physical tools.
Another one of the more underrated aspects of Miller's game is his athleticism. The smoothness of his jumper and the capabilities of his outside game draw away from the bounce and explosiveness.
Oats has drawn up plays like the one above using weak-side lobs to catch the defense asleep. After setting a screen, Miller rolled hard toward the basket and finished a thunderous slam with one hand after an accurate pass from his guard.
Miller's versatility is his ultimate value, as there are seemingly an infinite number of ways he can be utilized on both sides of the floor. Oats is surely excited to have that kind of Swiss Army knife at his disposal.
NBA scouts also have their eye on Miller already as a potential one-and-done candidate. He recently appeared in the 20th spot on NBC Sports' Way-Too-Early 2023 NBA Mock Draft.
Oh, and if those other more fundamental clips were not enough to prove how much he can stand out, here's Miller jumping over another human being during a basketball game:
