Unwavering self-confidence has gone a long way in keeping Leonard Miller level-headed in his journey to being a potential first-round NBA draft pick in June.
It was just under two years ago when the Scarborough, Ont., native didn’t have any offers going into his postgraduate year of high school.
The six-foot-10, 210-pound forward is now among the leading players (15.6 points, 8.6 rebounds and 25.9 minutes in 11 games) of the G League Ignite where he's further developing his game months ahead of the draft.
“My confidence comes from my work ethic,” the 19-year-old told The Canadian Press. “I believe in myself a lot. If I'm not confident in myself, then really, who is?
“This is what I do. So I've always played it like I knew that I was going to be in the NBA, like I always knew that these things would come. Through adversity and different obstacles that I faced, it never changed my mind.”
Miller’s high school journey was a whirlwind of transferring, having not spent more than a year at any school he attended.
His path began at Bill Crothers Secondary School in Markham, Ont., before moving on to Thornlea Secondary School in Thornhill, Ont., the very next year.
Miller then transitioned south of the border to Wasatch Academy in Mount Pleasant, Utah. But after averaging just 4.3 points in limited action in 2019-20, he packed his bags to Victory Rock Prep in Bradenton, Fla., for the following season.
In between that time, Miller grew from 6-5 to 6-10 in 2020, altering his trajectory.
However, a broken right wrist that required surgery caused him to miss his senior season.
“Probably my wrist injury,” Miller said regarding what most challenged his ability to face adversity. “To come back, to become better than I was before — it was definitely a process."
A return to Canada to play for then-startup Fort Erie International Academy of the Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association allowed Miller a final shot at making good on his self-belief, as well as a reunion with his former coach Charles Hantoumakos, from Thornlea.
“I didn’t feel any pressure,” he said about entering the 2021-22 season without any offers. “I felt like my performance and my work ethic would naturally just come in.”
And that, it did. Miller shined averaging 33.3 points and 12.5 rebounds per game en route to winning league MVP honours and leading Fort Erie to an OSBA title.
Following a strong showing at the Nike Hoop Summit, he entered his name in the 2022 draft after being deemed eligible to do so but later withdrew at the June 13 deadline. Although the goal was to keep his name in it, the feedback he got — which he knew for himself — was he could make himself more NBA ready.
Passing on the college route in the process despite being a four- to five-star recruit, he signed a deal with the Ignite, which provides an alternative professional route for top prospects to develop their game since its inception in 2020.
The move allows young players more leeway to learn and gain experience on the pro level before entering the draft.
“The difference about college is you coach them assuming that they're gonna be in school for three, four years,” Ignite coach Jason Hart said. “Here, … the curve is steeper and has to be learned quicker because they have to understand what they are prior to them even getting drafted.
“With Leonard, he played guard (and) wing his whole life, which is good, but he's gonna be a forward in the NBA so he has to learn forward things. You have to learn big man things because that's where his natural position will be in the NBA. So he's doing really well in learning that and he's starting to understand how you can have success each game.”
While acknowledging Miller has grown most in his understanding of the game and that his ability to play inside and out offensively serves as his biggest strength, Hart says the youngster could reach another level building on his defensive potential.
“Being able to guard one through five, that can really put him in the category with some elite rookies coming into the draft,” he said. “It's the defensive skill set that he can bring. That's the next level and that's what we're trying to work on.”
Miller will get his next big opportunity to showcase his talents at the NBA all-star weekend's Rising Stars event, where he will be competing in a three-game mini-tournament comprised of NBA rookies, sophomores and G League players on Feb. 17 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 10, 2023.
Abdulhamid Ibrahim, The Canadian Press
