The youngest upperclassman in the country at just 20 years old, and only a few months older than Brandon Miller & the Thompson twins, Mike Miles had a great career at TCU, lifting them to highs they had never seen before. As a junior, Miles averaged 18 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 2.7 APG, 1.2 SPG, and 2.6 TOPG on splits of 50/36/75. Below is his full scouting report:
Name: Mike Miles
Height/Weight: 6’1/205
Wingspan/ standing reach: 6’0.5/8’0
Hand size: 8.25
Position: Point guard
College/ country: TCU
Tools: IQ, Shooting, Speed + ball-handling
Pros:
- Good rebounder for a guard
- Instinctual defender
- Projectable jump shot with deep NBA range
- Excellent change of direction
- Underrated athlete that can finish above the rim with a head of steam
- Comfortable with both hands
- Comfortable absorbing contact at the rim
- Manipulates defenses in P&R, times defenses well
- Quick, active hands on defense
- Improved his runner/floater as a junior
- Got stronger and finished better as a junior
Cons:
- Undersized
- Underwhelming assist:turnover ratio
- Small hands
Swing Skills:
- Level of shooting consistency
Summary:
Mike Miles profiles as a quality point guard, starting his career likely coming off the bench, then potentially growing into becoming a fringe starter or better. I have optimism that Miles can grow into this mold despite being considered undersized. Having seen almost every game of his, and almost all home games in person at TCU, Miles is a prime example of what work ethic and growing into expectations looks like. As a freshman, Miles showed flashes from his first game and was a surprisingly good freshman that immediately elevated TCU’s play with his all-around offense.
As a sophomore, Miles relied heavily on his runner as a finishing move, which was largely inefficient. While still a useful tool, the over-reliance on the runner caused a massive inefficiency for him. He shot 21/79 (26.6%) on runners as a sophomore, which if you removed runners entirely from his field goal attempts that year, it improves his FG% from 38.2% to 40.8%. As a junior, he changed his finishing approach from soft touch away from contact consistently to adding muscle, willing to absorb contact and live at the line, and finish through defenders. As a result, his runners attempt went down from 79 to 29, and the percentage increased from 26.6% to 51.7%. Another results-driven proof of an improved finishing style is that his rim FG% increased from 56% as a sophomore to 67.7% as a junior, and the free throw attempts went from 4.5 attempts per game to 6.3 attempts per game with a nearly equal percentage.
Miles can also hit the three ball, and the percentages are strong indicators that his shot will translate. He has clean form, good touch, and unlimited range on his jump shot. This will allow Miles to play both on and off-ball offensively with ease.
As a playmaker, Miles is smart and makes great reads despite being undersized; he can see through defenses easily and quickly & accurately identifies holes in defenses. With a strong ability to make accurate, difficult passes, both against pressure and through tight defenses. He also has a great handle, which he can use to break down defenders to create space quickly and effectively.
Defensively, while Miles is undersized, he is strong and has an outstanding feel for the game. One example of this (which can be seen below) is how easily he rotates over when playing at the rim, being able to sag off of his man, or playing zone, to help at the rim. While a point guard like Miles will almost never be used in this exact role, it exemplifies how he can recognize the right play, no matter what his physical disadvantages presented to him are. With his strength and intelligence, I project Miles to be an average defender, all things considered, and given how important defensive rotations and off-ball defense are in today’s NBA.
Similar to: Jalen Brunson, Jameer Nelson, Tyus Jones, Fred VanVleet
Projected draft range: 35-undrafted
Expected role: High-level backup PG that can facilitate offense and be a three level scorer. He should be able to work with any lineup, no matter the amount of ball-handlers.
Unplayable if: Lack of size/length holds him back, and shooting inconsistencies don’t improve.
Exceeds expectations if: Shooting develops into projections of above average, defense is neutral, and passing develops into a low-turnover rate while running offense efficiently.
