LA Lakers Are Best Landing Spot for Quincy Miller to Resurrect NBA Career
The Los Angeles Lakers need pieces for the future, and free-agent forward Quincy Miller is searching for an NBA opportunity big enough to prove he can be that type of player.
Rarely is a match made in basketball heaven between a winless team and a guy who could not survive roster cuts. This has a chance to be an exception to the rule.
And it might have a good shot at becoming a reality sooner than later. The 21-year-old Miller has popped up on the radar of several NBA squads since being waived by the Denver Nuggets. League sources told Real GM's Shams Charania that the Lakers are the "leading suitors" pursuing the 6'10" forward.
Miller has plenty to prove after making only 59 appearances during his first two seasons in the league, and he will not find a better proving ground than Hollywood.
Tantalizing Talent
At one point in the not-so-distant past, Miller appeared to have the basketball world in his palm.
Scout.com rated him as the fourth overall player in the high school class of 2011, a group that produced Anthony Davis, Andre Drummond and Bradley Beal, among others. Lightning-quick off the dribble and explosive at the rim, Miller flashed all-around ability that left scouts drooling in his wake.
"He has a guard mentality in a forward's body," ESPN Recruiting's Mike LaPlante gushed in 2010. "He blocks shots, rebounds on both ends, handles and passes the ball, knocks down threes and defends. He is always a joy to watch."
Miller's future looked blindingly bright. The guy was drawing Kevin Durant comparisons, and they somehow seemed relatively reasonable.
But Miller's senior season and high school career both ended abruptly when he suffered a torn ACL in December 2010. He suited up at Baylor University the following year, but the damage seemed to linger. He averaged only 10.6 points and 4.9 rebounds as a freshman, which might qualify as good numbers for most but certainly didn't fit with his billing as a transcendent talent.
Despite the underwhelming production and concerns about his health, Miller entered his name into the 2012 draft. It would not be called until the 38th overall selection.
Buried on a deep Denver perimeter, Miller logged only 26 minutes as a rookie in 2012-13. Injuries opened the door a bit wider last season, allowing him to play 52 games and make 16 starts.
But he looked like what he was: a raw prospect in desperate need of more development. Remember, that would have only been his junior season of college ball had he stayed in Waco, Texas.
All things considered, his career numbers—4.5 points on 36.6 percent shooting, 2.5 rebounds, 0.5 blocks and 0.4 steals—aren't as disappointing as they look. In fact, put them on a per-36 minute scale—11.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and 1.0 steals—and they become a stat line only five players reached last season.
With a 7'1.25" wingspan (per DraftExpress) and a lot of the athleticism back that some scouts feared he had lost to injury, Miller remains an intriguing prospect. Combine his size and skill, and you're left with the makings of someone who could still develop into an NBA force.
Denver coach Brian Shaw told reporters last October that working with Miller evoked memories of helping Paul George pave his All-Star path while Shaw was an assistant with the Indiana Pacers:
"I didn’t know much about (Miller) before I got here. I’ve been pleasantly surprised. He is really, really talented. At 6-10, he can handle the ball. When he gets his feet set, he can shoot it well from the outside.
When I got to Indiana, I didn’t know very much about Paul George. Once I got there and I started working with him, I was like, 'Wow, this guy could really be good if he puts in the work.' It reminds me of that situation.
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Miller has not ascended into the elite ranks the way he once seemed destined to do, but his tools make it impossible to say that door has been closed for good. He has not fumbled away his opportunity but rather is still waiting to hear its knock.
His skill set remains intriguing, and time is absolutely on his side. At his age and with his upside, he represents the right type of low-risk, high-reward gamble the Lakers need to make.
Help Wanted On the Wing
At 0-5, the Lakers are off to their worst start in 57 years. Last season, they set a franchise record for losses with 55.
This team needs help wherever it can find it, but the small forward spot has been a particularly problematic area.
Starter Wesley Johnson possesses an abysmal 7.8 player efficiency rating. Strange as this may sound for a former No. 4 pick, this is not the first time he has had a single-digit PER (8.0 in 2011-12).
Fellow reclamation project Xavier Henry has had a PER above 10.0 only once in his five-year career. He underwent surgeries on his left wrist and right knee in April, which hopefully explains why he has all of five points, one rebound, zero assists and one steal to show for his 33 minutes played.
Those two players essentially make up L.A.'s depth at the 3. Kobe Bryant and Wayne Ellington can man the spot in a pinch—as can Nick Young, whenever he returns from his thumb injury—but Johnson and Henry are basically the Lakers' guys.
That is obviously an issue. To better capture the magnitude of that problem, check out how Lakers small forwards stack up against their positional peers: 22nd in points (15.2 per game), 29th in rebounds (4.2) and 27th in assists (1.4), per HoopsStats.com.
Miller may not be the solution to the Lakers' perimeter woes, but they have next to nothing to lose by giving him a chance.
His biggest issue has been finding a platform to showcase his ability. With the Lakers starving for even mediocre production at his position, that should not be a problem, as Lakers Nation's Ryan Ward explained:
"With the Lakers in desperate need of some help at the small forward position, Miller could have an opportunity to come in and shoulder the load at the three spot behind starter Wesley Johnson. Miller is by no means a game-changer for Los Angeles, but an option the team could explore with so many players currently on the shelf.
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The Lakers have reportedly liked Miller for some time. A source told Fox Sports' Sam Amico in 2012 that the team was trying to climb the draft board with its sight set on two players: Miller and his Baylor teammate Perry Jones III.
So this is more than simply scouring the market for better options than they currently have. It's finally getting a crack at tapping into Miller's massive potential, a move the Lakers could make with relative ease by shedding one of their players without a fully guaranteed contract (Ronnie Price or Wayne Ellington).
This franchise needs to prioritize its future. Taking a flier on Miller would be a low-cost step in the right direction.
Building an Identity
More than anything, the Lakers need a plan. And that applies to both their current situation and their long-term outlook.
They don't have the personnel to become the defensive force that head coach Byron Scott has envisioned. Through five games, L.A. has easily the worst defensive rating in the NBA at 117.4. Only two other teams have even allowed more than 110 points per 100 possessions: the Utah Jazz (110.4) and Dallas Mavericks (110.8).
Unfortunately, the Lakers don't have many offensive weapons, either. The 36-year-old Bryant has accounted for nearly 29 percent of the team's total field-goal attempts. After watching some of his teammates struggle mightily to create in the half-court, it often feels like that number should be even higher.
But L.A. does have some athletes capable of wreaking havoc in the open floor.
If guys like Jeremy Lin, Ed Davis and Jordan Clarkson are going to be part of the franchise's post-Bryant blueprint, this team's future may rest in playing with pace and exploiting athletic advantages. Such a system would be a perfect fit for Miller's skills and should enhance the value of lottery pick Julius Randle.
Whether the Lakers are thinking about today or tomorrow, they have to see how valuable Miller can be. He might be better than what they have now, and he could help restock a cupboard that is painfully light.
He has the body to be a defensive pest and the talent to carry his impact to the offensive end. He just needs some seasoning.
"One look at...Miller, who has small forward skills, passes the eye test," wrote Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. "He looks like an NBA athlete. He's in the process of raising his game to match."
The Lakers need to be a part of that process, both for themselves and for Miller. They have major minutes to throw his way, which could be the key to launching him toward a ceiling that cannot be seen from the ground floor.
Unless otherwise noted, statistics used courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com.
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