I think the overall assessment on this board is too low on Miller. I still want Scoot over him, but the gap isn’t big.
My doubts in picking Miller over Scoot are two fold.
Athleticism. His relative lack of burst, compared with the best, will likely limit his ability to switch onto some Guards and, possibly, to create spacing against NBA wings. His lack of strength and weight will limit his effectiveness when he switches onto 4s. Both should be addressable, to an extent, but they are a concern when talking about an elite prospect.
Comparative lack of drive/dog in him, when compared to Scoot. Not so much of a knock as an observation. He does come alive on the court, and clearly wants the ball, wants to take big shots, wants to win and impact the game on both sides of the ball. I just think Scoot’s attitude and demeanour is elite, and a separating factor, for this team.
The positives for Miller, however, are significant. Prototypical size. Very good shooter. Good defender. Good passer. Exceptional fit with LaMelo & Williams. With added strength and burst he’s a high level, 6’9”, two-way wing who’ll guard 2-4 well, while shooting the ball with volume and efficiency. He’ll take the big shots, move the ball, create buckets for others and rebound. He’s an excellent prospect.
I don’t think miller will be guarding many shooting guards in the NBA. He’s a willing defender but I don’t know if I’d call him a good defender. He’s not quick enough to hang with SGs.
I agree with your general point, but he will get switched onto 2s and 4s, and I think he currently lacks a bit of athleticism/strength in each relevant case.
The same is true of Scoot, though his limitation is height, and that can not be fixed. There’s no doubt teams will be looking to switch taller shooters onto Scoot, just as they look to switch quicker guards and bigger power forwards onto Miller. Scoot’s huge wingspan, relative to his height, will help mitigate things, but it is a limitation.
I think scoot’s elite strength and wing span can make it work.
Brandon is 6’9 200 with a 6’11 wing span
Scoot is 6’3 196 with a 6’9 wing span.
I wish we could fill our starting 5 with great defenders. Because Miles Bridges is definitely not a great defender, it fact he’s a pretty poor on ball defender.
You’ll get no argument from me on that score! It’s why I really like Taylor Hendricks and Jarace Walker for us, though clearly not at #2. Hendricks is a good defender, probably the truest two-way option in the lottery, while Walker is a very good defender.
We’ve clearly targetted two-way potential players recently in the draft. And that’s why Miller makes so much sense as our pick, even if he lacks Scoot’s alpha mentality and elite athleticism, as he would fit right in with our roster.
I can definitely agree with that. Even though I’m going to be extremely disappointed if scoot is not the pick, I’m going to be happy we were able to get one of the two (scoot/Miller).
When the Panthers first moved up to #1, I was firmly in the CJ Stroud camp. I thought it was a no brainer with his incredible accuracy and good positional size, and his athletic ability that he showcased against Georgia’s elite defense answered all those final lingering questions in that aspect. Bryce was too small to take that risk for a prospect like CJ.
But hearing all the rumors that the Panther’s loved Bryce, that all the top scouts and GMs were touting Bryce as the consensus best player, I made myself go back to consume everything I could about him. One, to be more comfortable with the pick if we did go for him, and two, to check and make sure I wasn’t being unfair strictly because of the size.
His film was incredible of course, but he’s surprisingly very humble and seems a born leader, with a command of anything football related, and was the best college player for the last 2 years. The way he thinks is almost as big as what he can do on the field. I soon converted, and was 100% on the Bryce train by the end.
All that to say… I really like Miller’s game a lot, and he does fit in perfectly with the team. Still love the idea of Scoot more right now, but I’m gonna dig in and watch everything again to get more comfortable with Miller if he’s the pick, and be open minded to reconsider.
Thoughts … we know Wemby is 99.9% going first. I think we can realistically discount anything else. However, there must be a greater than 0.1% chance of another prospect being in the conversation, at least, for us at #2? (for the sake of this discussion, I’m discounting trading back)
So, is there another prospect you would at least consider at #2, aside from the titular characters of this thread?
PS: For transparency’s sake, I don’t have another name to throw into the mix. I really like Walker, Hendrick & Whitmore, but not at #2.
Amen Thompson had been thrown around as a distant possibility we take at 2. My guess is that was bait to try elicit a Houston trade up (where the threat is that Miller and Amen are gone by 4)
I am a corporate man. Even when we took Mark W over J Duren I figured that the front office did it’s research. That pick is looking better and better. I am trusting that the FO will make the right decision after doing it’s due diligence on Scoot and Brandon.
I don’t see super star in Brandon but I do see a reliable high level starter and occasional all star.
It’s bad really really bad. Just watch the YouTube videos were dudes - young dudes - sag off of him around the 3 point line. If he could shoot then he would be in the top 3 discussion instead of 4/5.
This is FREAKING brilliant! Nothing in there is a lie.
Miller’s lack of athleticism is my biggest worry. As for his personality - no he is not the guy to make a cultural change. But you can buy that off of the streets w a couple of low pay free agents. Don’t put culture change on any of these young guys. That is 100% unfair to look to them to correct the mess ups of the last couple of decades.
I like Whitmore, even consideration at 2. I like his toughness and aggression. I think he may be the alpha we talk about the Hornets needing. I fear we’ll look back in 3 years and say that’s the guy we needed. Just a feeling, I don’t have any great scouting knowledge to add. Just watching the guy and thinking that’s what we need.
He’s capable of hitting open 3s, so can’t be left entirely alone out there, but I don’t see him hitting contested 3s anytime soon, maybe ever. He’s also 20, so has had time to work on his shot, knowing full well that’s his only real weakness … and he’s still bad.
Such a shame, as he could guard the oppositions main threat 1-3 as a designated assignment, and do it very well. He has genuine PG passing & vision, and will instantly be one of the best athletes in the NBA. I’ve seen comps of a tall Ja Morant.
Sounds like he will be a good addition for an established team needing a rotation guy that may develop into a real player. I am thinking Pacers Lance Stephenson.