The Chicago Bulls’ preseason has taught us one very valuable lesson: Arturas Karnisovas was right.
In all seriousness, for all the former executive’s faults, he deserves a tip of the cap for snagging Leonard Miller at last season’s trade deadline. Someone who felt like nothing more than a throw-in to make the money work has turned into another genuinely fascinating young piece. Head coach Tiago Splitter has sounded very happy to have the 22-year-old in the mix, especially after four unexpectedly strong preseason games.
Leonard Miller has been the Chicago Bulls’ most consistent player in the lead-up to the regular season. He has scored at least 12 points in each preseason outing while grabbing 7 rebounds in three of the four games. Against the Denver Nuggets, Miller led the way with 26 points on 11-14 shooting from the field, which included a 4-6 display from behind the arc. While he failed to match that mark against the Bucks on Wednesday night, Miller still dropped 18 points on a nearly efficient 7-11 shooting performance.
Look, preseason basketball isn’t always a great reflection of what the regular season will hold. A fair share of Miller’s points have come late in the second half, when opposing teams have decided to sit some of their typical rotation players. At the same time, production is production, and it’s not as if this is the first time Miller has shown flashes.
After coming over at the trade deadline from the Minnesota Timberwolves last season, Miller impressed over the final weeks. He was regularly scoring in double figures thanks to solid spot-up shooting and decisive drives to the rim. In other words, a lot of what we’ve seen from him over the last two weeks.
“Those body of games I got to play, those meaningful minutes, I got to play through mistakes,” Miller said on Thursday. “That definitely helped me right now because prior to that I was on a Minnesota team where I didn’t get to play through mistakes and in meaningful minutes. That experience, it’s going to help any player in the league.”
Make no mistake, however, Miller isn’t surprised that things are starting to click. He appeared in only 49 games over two and a half seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves, averaging a mere 3.7 minutes per contest. With the team in win-now mode, the opportunity to play simply wasn’t there, but Miller stayed ready.
“If you put a lot of work into your craft and take advantage of the opportunities that you’re given, then there is no surprise with the outcome that comes with it,” Miller told reporters.
It also sure doesn’t hurt that Miller is in a place that fits his brand of basketball so well. Many wondered what his future might hold after the front office overhaul, but the Bulls picking up his team option should have been a given after Bryson Graham revealed his “SLAP” (size, length, athleticism, physicality) acronym.
Miller is every bit six-foot-ten with a sturdy frame and bulky upper body. He soars in transition, fights on the boards, and can switch onto multiple positions with ease. There may not be a blatantly elite skillset, but that is part of the appeal. Tiago Splitter has praised Miller’s “randomness,” insisting that he’s a hard player for opposing teams to prepare for on any given night.
“I love it,” Miller said about playing under his new head coach. “Whatever Tiago is doing with us right now, I fit the mold of everything that he asks for in his player. The aggressiveness, the rebounding for sure because I’m heavy on the glass. And then my versatility. I fit the mold of what we’re trying to do out there.”
Miller is absolutely right, and his 19+ minutes in each of the Bulls’ last three preseason games underscore just that. He has all but locked in a rotational spot, potentially serving as the primary backup to rookie power forward Caleb Wilson.
All things considered, Miller’s rise is an incredibly pleasant surprise for the new-look Bulls. While he isn’t going to suddenly leapfrog Wilson, Matas Buzelis, and Josh Giddey on the list of most important building blocks, this is a franchise trying to find as many long-term pieces as it can. To be sure, Miller is on an expiring contract and thus not officially part of the young core. But could that change in a matter of days?
As long as Miller’s camp is willing to talk business, now could be the time to get Miller on a team-friendly extension before the rest of the league takes notice.
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