NBA Draft

Skills and Tools that Translate: Revisiting Mike Miles Jr.

After revisiting an evaluation completed just before the 2022-2023 season on Mike Miles Jr., does the same skills and tools still translate to the NBA?
Jam Hines|
Skills and Tools that Translate: Revisiting Mike Miles Jr.
Skills and Tools that Translate: Revisiting Mike Miles Jr.

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TCU Horned Frogs

As scouts and talent evaluators, we are always seeking to answer the question, “what translates?" In this edition of Skills and Tools that Translate, I revisit my evaluation and projection on Mike Miles Jr. that was published before this past season on September 18, 2022 to figure out if anything has changed.

For comparison sake, my original analysis is kept with only minor removals to condense the overall article length. My updated analysis is labeled and in bold. Let’s revisit the tools and skills that translate to the NBA for Miles.

2022-2023 Stats: 17.9 points I 2.7 rebounds I 2.7 assists I 1.2 steals I 0.3 blocks I 31.9 minutes per game I 27 games

Shooting Stats: 49% on field goals I 36% from three (3.9 attempts) I 74% free throw shooter (6.3 attempts)

Pick-and-Roll Scoring

An evaluation becomes easier when a prospect’s best skill translates and that’s the case for Miles whose dynamic pick-and-roll scoring aligns perfectly in today’s game. Nearly 40% of his possessions were as the pick-and-roll handler with most of his points coming out of it (180). The next closest was his 81 points in transition.

Miles scores in the pick-and-roll with a mix of a crafty handle, shiftiness, burst, space creation and tough shot making. He possesses a bag full of advanced dribble moves, counters, step backs, sidesteps and multi-level pull-up shooting to attack the primary defender or switching big.

Update: Although Miles’ spot up usage and production took a reassuring leap this past season, his bread and butter is still pick-and-roll scoring. Most of his touches still came as the pick-and-roll ball handler (29.6%) where he scored his second most points (117), just behind his 127 points on spot ups (22.8% of the time) and ahead of his 111 points in transition.

Off the dribble 3-point shooting, particularly out of ball screens, is a highly coveted skill. Despite a down shooting year, Miles still shot a threatening 35% on pick-and-roll shots from beyond the arc (14-40).

Update: Miles experienced a significant drop here from 35% to 22%. Still, I’m not overly concerned because of the small sample size (18 attempts) and his shotmaking gravity.

Pick-and-Roll Passing

Probably because of his scoring prowess, Miles' passing ability feels like it’s become either severely underrated or under appreciated. He’s a terrific playmaker who’s passing really shines when operating pick-and-rolls. From pocket passes, lobs, whips and skips, he’s capable of making nearly every pass out of them.

Miles is truly a skilled passer that can read and react to the defense then deliver the ball to the appropriate man whether it’s the screener, a cutter, or a spot-up shooter on either side of the floor. He just doesn’t make the easy reads to rollers or drive and kicks after drawing the help defender, but he makes more difficult ones like the ones below where he must decipher the tag man then act upon his decision.

He’s taken a noticeable step in his understanding of when to score and facilitate, something that really stood out during his U19 gold medal stint and continued last season.

Update: Pick-and-roll passing remains a valuable skill that Miles brings that’s flying under the radar. He’s capable of executing just about every pass needed when navigating it.

His assists numbers are down 1.1 per game, but it isn't indicative of the type of playmaker that he is. The key for Miles on the playmaking side is more consistent decision making and ball security (2.7 assist to 2.6 turnovers). It could ultimately decide if teams prefer him more as a third lead guard or backup one.

Off-Ball Shooting

His off-ball shooting translating is a bet I’m making on last season’s overall dip in shooting numbers being an outlier and a return to more efficient numbers this season. He’s coming off a sophomore year where he shot 25.6% on catch and shoots 3's (21-82) including 20.6% (7-34) when unguarded.

As a freshman, Miles was a 38.8% shooter on catch-and shoot triples including 41% when unguarded (16-39). I’m trusting his proven history dating back to high school as a shot maker, shooting confidence and fluid mechanics producing reliable value as a spot up, catch and shoot threat that helps space the floor.

Update: So far, so good on this shooting bet. Miles raised his 3-point mark from 29% to 36% while shooting 42% on spot-up threes (61 attempts), 41% on catch-and-shoot threes (72 attempts) and 46% on unguarded catch-and-shoots threes (32 attempts).

According to Synergy, Miles ranks in the 93rd percentile on spot-ups and in the 86th percentile on catch-and-shoots.

At the Rim Athleticism

Listed at 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds, but likely actually just a bit shorter, Miles Jr. is an explosive and functional run-and-jump athlete that’s more than capable of finishing above the rim with authority when there is a runway. He has no issue testing defenders at the rim, he’s fearless and will hunt poster dunk opportunities.

It’s not only the vertical pop at the rim that translates, but it’s the strength, coordination and balance components of his athleticism that translate too. Miles Jr. is equipped with a strong frame that can absorb contact plus the ability to still ways to finish from different angles. His propensity for tough shot making becomes incredibly useful when finishing at and around the rim in traffic and against help defenders.

Update: At the NBA combine, Miles officially measured in at 6’0.75” without shoes (about 6-foot-1 in shoes) with a nearly even wingspan of 6’0.50” at 205 pounds. Outside of the weight, those are less than ideal numbers, but Miles continues to be a reliable scorer at the rim, connecting on 67.2% of his 125 shots at the rim.

Defensive Playmaking

Miles won’t be an elite versatile, plus defender and that’s fine considering it’s his ability to score and make plays for others is his bread and butter. However, he adds defensive value by leveraging his quick twitch athleticism and feel to create defensive events.

He’s especially adept as a help and team defender from jumping passing lanes, digs for steals and making the proper rotations to either get a stop or provide adequate resistance. He’s become a more engaged and active defender over the past couple of years, which makes him at least a more reliable defender in terms of effort and impactful tool utilization.

Update: Nothing has changed on the defensive end, even producing nearly identical stock numbers over the past two seasons (1.4 to 1.5). Staying on the floor defensively is what matters and Miles should be able to because of his tools and competitiveness. 

Conclusion

Even with another year of information, not much has changed about my evaluation and projection of Miles. His uptick in production and usage as an off-ball shooter and scorer did reaffirm my belief in his ability to thrive off the ball though, making it more projectbale.

He’s as an athletic advanced shot creator and tough shot maker with underrated playmaking ability that teams should consider in the second round to help ignite their bench. If undrafted, Miles should be a two way contract priority that can develop in the G League while gaining experience in the NBA. 

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Jam Hines
JAM HINES

Jam is a scout with nearly a decade of evaluation experience through his time with former NBA scouting and consulting services, EV Hoops and BPA Hoops. From the high school to NBA level, he brings a wealth of knowledge on prospects.

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