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There was a minor stir of pre-game excitement ahead of the Toronto Raptors’ intrasquad scrimmage on the University of Victoria campus Thursday. A first look at OG Anunoby, the team’s first-round pick who most didn’t expect to be back on the floor in such situations so soon, drew the headlines. Scroll further down the bullet points, though, and there was another injured name who caused a double-take: Malcolm Miller was listed on one of the rosters.
Miller did not end up playing, as it turned out. He underwent surgery to aid in the healing of a severe ankle sprain back in July, and as of Monday’s media day, he had not progressed to 5-on-5 play just yet. That day is drawing nearer, and while it won’t be cause for the headlines Anunoby’s return was, it should still be cause for excitement.
“At this point it’s almost day-to-day. It’s real close,” Miller told Raptors Republic. “We’re just taking it step-by-step and being cautious. Next step: 5-on-5, full contact. I’m very excited. But still patient at the same time. I love playing basketball but I want to play like I can play, not how a hurt version can play.”
FURTHER READING: Malcolm Miller shows potential, promise with Raptors despite rough start to summer
There is not a grand urgency to get Miller on the floor, though it would obviously be preferable for him to have the bulk of camp to mesh with the team, learn the system, and shake off any rust. Signed to a two-way contract this summer, Miller’s spot on the roster is largely secure, and he’ll be a member of the Raptors until the beginning of Raptors 905 training camp (Oct. 23) and again once the G-League regular season concludes (April 11). In between, he can spend up to 45 days on the NBA roster, and should the need arise or Miller impresses, the Raptors hold the option to convert his two-way contract into a regular deal, removing the service time cap.
That’s a consideration for down the line. For now, the focus is on getting Miller healthy, then seeing what he might be able to contribute. On paper, Miller would seem to be a seamless fit to help plug several of the team’s weaknesses. He is a combo forward, capable of playing the perimeter on offense with a solid face-up game and emerging playmaking skills and defending either forward position thanks to his 6-foot-7 height, 7-foot wingspan, and 11-foot-11 maximum vertical touch. He’s also a shooter, which the team could quite clearly use.
To call him a 3-and-D prospect would be entirely fair, and Miller’s consistently shown both the “3” and “D” parts of that descriptor before reaching the NBA, somewhat of a rarity.
Given his length and bounce, it’s not entirely a surprise that he can contest shots well, but his block rates pop – he turned away nearly four percent of opponent 2-point shots when on the floor in Germany last year and nearly three percent of them in the G-League the year before that (in college, that number pushed closer to six percent). Those are elite numbers for a non-center, and even if they come down some against NBA competition and with more time at the three rather than the four, it’s clear he has an NBA skill in that regard.
“I think what he surprised me most with was his shot-blocking,” Raptors assistant coach Jama Mahlalela told RR at Summer League. “He’s a much better shot-blocked than you’d think. He really uses his length and gets out and blocks. I mean, he blocked, I don’t know, four shots a game during each free agent workout. It’s pretty impressive, that really stood out. I was like woah, this is something he can do as a skill, and as an NBA player, that’s something he’ll be able to bring to the court.”
The shooting may pop even more, because it’s a little more plain to see. Miller didn’t shoot a ton of threes early in his career at Holy Cross, ratcheting up the volume as a junior and senior to finish with a 37-percent mark on a modest 284 career attempts. With Maine as a G-League rookie in 2015-16, he had much more of a green light, hitting 39.8 percent of 4.5 3-point attempts per-game. Playing alongside Canadian shooting legend Carl English with Alba Berlin likely helped continue his stroke’s development, and he knocked down 38.5 percent (of a smaller volume) of threes in his lone international season.
If there’s a takeaway from Miller’s offensive game through two professional seasons, it’s that it’s a shock the Houston Rockets have never picked him up. If the Raptors are trying to continue to shift toward a more efficient shot mix, Miller – who rarely shoots anywhere but beyond the arc and in the restricted area – is going to fit right in. Here’s a look at his G-League shot chart from two years back:
International shot charts are a little harder to come by, so we had to go deep into the recesses of the Tableau visualization community to make sure this trend held up as Miller’s role fluctuated in Berlin. Thanks to some terrific data work from @korbanbeter, who managed to visualize shooting data from the German BBL league (Eurocup games not included, so this is about 79 percent of Miller’s 2016-17 shooting), we can more or less confirm:
That Miller hasn’t been able to display his touch or his defense yet has been a little frustrating. He’s kept a cool head, though, instead using the last few weeks to get to know Toronto, bond with teammates – he and Anunoby have apparently had some epic NBA 2K battles of late – and play a supporting role when practice sessions at BioSteel Centre turned to live action.
“Well, first thing and foremost, just being a good teammate,” Miller said. “There’s games when I’m not gonna be playing or there might be other players that are hurt, encouragement is probably the biggest thing I can do right now. So if they’re running sprints and I see a guy falling a little behind, a little bit tired, gotta keep him up. Gotta pick my teammates up where I have the energy to do that where some people might not.”
Miller skews friendly and positive in that support most of the time. When it comes to shooting drills, something he can mostly participate in now without much concern for his ankle, Miller has taken to pushing teammates in another way.
“Oh, you can always trash talk. You can always trash talk,” he said. “We’re all competitive here, so they understand. I’m trying to make the top of the shooting list, too.”
Miller’s been so eager to show off his shot, in fact, that he got in some (light) trouble in Vegas for shooting while still in his walking boot.
“The form looks good. Obviously all the weight’s on my left side,” Miller said about the photo. “I’mma need that picture.”
Looking at the entire picture here, it’s easy to see what the Raptors liked about Miller. Still just 24, he offers size and shooting, seems a good off-court fit with the rest of the young core, and was amenable to a two-way deal to help continue his development. He might be the forgotten man for the bulk of the preseason given the status of his ankle, but he shouldn’t be off the radar for much longer after that.
