Jnixon’s Countdown to the 2012 Draft: 60 Prospects in 30 Days (14&13)

 14: Quincy Miller, 6’10 219, SF/SG, Baylor, Fr.

A touted prospect out of HS, Miller did well…Had a nice Fr. year where he showed that he had a lot to learn but still showcased good skills and upside…Was a rotation player and starter for Baylor, and even though he had his minutes monitored, he really did a good job of producing pretty well and not having too big an ego (which he was known for before entering college)…All Big 12 Fr. Team member…Physically, Miller is an oversized wing prospect who will have advantages even at the NBA level…Stands 6’10, which is outstanding height for a wing…Also has a 7’1 wingspan to add even more intrigue…He’s pretty thin and not very strong, so he will certainly need time in the weight room…Still, his size is probably the best attribute he has right now…Athletically, Miller is still a bit nagged by his ACL injury, but he’s also still a very functional athlete…Really smooth and fluid for a guy his size…Has pretty good leaping skills…He’s not exceptionally quick, but he’s still solid for his size…Not very fast or ultra-explosive though

On offense, Miller is raw but he has impressive natural talent and probably will be a weapon when he rounds everything out…Has natural, yet raw scoring ability…He makes most of his hay on jump shots… Miller is most effective from the mid-range area, where he can make shots off screens and pull-ups…Played most of his time at the elbow in Baylor’s offense…Really good at reading screens, and uses them well to get open shots…Has precise footwork (arguably one of the best in the 2012 draft on the wing), and usually is on balance when moving off the ball and when squaring up for shots…Not going to get his shots blocked much at all with his height, and adequate release speed, even though he barely jumps or raises the ball when he shoots…Has 3-point range, but his range isn’t consistent and he’s definitely better from mid-range than deep…Didn’t shoot well from 3 in the Big 12 slate…Has a nice natural stroke, and he probably will develop into a nice shooter from deep with time…Off the dribble, Miller has good tools but needs polish…He is a very good and comfortable ball-handler on the wing for his size, and he shows some impressive moves out there that hint at his potential…Will dance around with the ball and use a few nice crossovers to free himself at times…Likes to play out of the triple threat when he has the ball…Shows some ability to get a rebound and handle the ball to get to the rim, which is impressive for a 6’10 guy…Needs to improve his handle a bit more though, as he can be ripped off the dribble because he plays with a high center of gravity at 6’10 and doesn’t have the tightest dribble, but the potential is there…Can struggle to finish shots around the rim when things get physical, showing his lack of strength and his still recovering explosiveness from the knee injury in HS…He will play above the rim on off-ball cuts and has gotten some nice poster quality jams…He should be a better finisher than he was in college though (47% from 2-point range), especially with his type of size and touch…Has post-up potential, but that won’t come around until he get more weight and strength, but he often played in the post for Baylor due to his size and mismatch potential… Has the length to make basic jump hooks and turnaround jumpers with his right hand…Makes GREAT use of pivots and spins, and will even make fake spin moves to go into up-and-under shots at times, showing his upside…Got to the foul line at a mediocre rate, but is a nice shooter when there (81%)…Can play in transition, but it isn’t really his strong suit…Very likely to finish when he has the ball with a head of steam…Doesn’t pass the ball much…Could be a real good scorer if he polishes his game more, but he put the ball in the hoop well last season considering how raw he was, but has a lot to learn about the game…Loses effectiveness in more physical types of games…Struggled with consistency as a Fr., often being taken out of games due to ineffectiveness and usually wasn’t on the court for the more pivotal possessions for Baylor, further showing his still developing maturity and basketball IQ…Really confident player and has a swagger on the court that is borderline arrogant..Competitive, and a trash talker

Defensively, Miller played in the Baylor zone a whole lot, but man did he look like he had a lot to learn…Shows very limited awareness on D, especially when on the perimeter, and rarely makes effort plays…Can be bullied by people with strength…Not the toughest or most contact loving player…When he did play man, Miller is a lax defender who doesn’t give you much effort doing little things like closing out hard on shooters or hedging picks on guards harder…Plays with little knee bend, which will make him easier to blow by in the NBA and will allow stronger players to get into his frame easier…Not a good rebounder or shot-blocker at all for his size, and doesn’t get many steals

Overall, Miller is an intriguing prospect because he has big upside offensively and his size is outstanding…He scored at a nice rate last season, but he is clearly raw and has a lot to learn about playing winning basketball…He needs to get stronger, gain polish and maturity, and at least try to defend and rebound…But Miller’s a natural scorer who will intrigue a team with his physical tools and potential putting up points, even if he provides little outside of his scoring potential and size

13: Terrence Jones, 6’9 252, PF/SF, Kentucky, Soph.

After playing a huge role in UK’s title season as a Soph., and helping them get to the Final 4 as a Fr., we have Jones checking in…A southpaw…He started out his Fr. season on fire and looked like a sure bet to enter and be a top 10 pick as a Fr., but he hit the Fr. wall a bit in the SEC slate and decided to return to school…He played a lot less on the perimeter than he did as a Fr., and made the UK team tougher to defend when he did so…Had a sometimes rocky relationship with Coach Calipari, who often got on Jones’ case during games, but it was probably because he saw the talent and didn’t want him to get too confident and selfish…Still, he had a nice run in college…Physically, Jones is real nice and he has more than enough size to play SF or PF…He stands 6’9 with a 7’2 wingspan, but couples that with a nicely developed 252 lb frame that has packed weight beautifully since he got to college (about 30 lbs)…Pretty strong…Athletically, Jones is also very good…He has nice leaping skills and is pretty quick, fast and agile for his size, but not quite outstanding or unbelievable anywhere athletically

On offense, Jones is a mismatch who can make an impact scoring a bit…He is a matchup nightmare at the PF spot, where he is most effective and more of a problem…He’s usually too quick for a true PF, but also stronger than most quicker PF’s…Has the handle and quickness to take PF’s out to the 3-point line and attack them to the rim…Very nice 1^st step for his size…Is able to use basic post moves to score, but needs polish with it and can lose effectiveness when posting up bigger PF’s…Is a better overall offensive player the closer he is to the rim…A s a shooter, Jones is improving but still needs work…He has raw range out to 22 ft., but he isn’t to be trusted shooting from that deep much…But, Jones currently has little mid-range game, to alleviate his lack of range….Needs to develop a consistent 15-18 ft. shot and then go from there…His mechanics are kind of sloppy, even when left open…He fares worse when shooting against contests though…Doesn’t consistently shoot with squared shoulders, and has a deliberate release where he almost leans forward into his shot…Looked less and less comfortable shooting the ball during his time at Kentucky, even with his feet set and when left open…One area where Jones is very good right now is his ability to get garbage baskets and easy looks around the rim due to his activeness and ability to run the floor…Jones got a good number of nice put-backs and scores off of loose balls…He plays with a nice motor and is not afraid of physical play…Plays well in transition, and gets some dunks and easy scores as a trailer man in the open floor…Finishes very well around the rim, and can get above the rim plays, and usually finishes with 2 hands when he does…Doesn’t pass the ball a lot and can get selfish at times…Has some ability to get rebounds, and then start fast breaks himself, but he will sometimes get turnovers doing that…Will string together outstanding possessions at times and then disappear for long stretches right afte, which is concerning….Needs to focus more….Shot selection can be shaky…Not that reliable as a decision maker…Needs to show more maturity, and his attitude is a bit concerning…Often tries to do too much on the ourt, especially when he tries to show his perimeter skills…Serviceable offensive rebounder…Needs a better understanding of the game, basketball IQ isn’t great

Defensively, Jones shows inconsistencies but he an be nice in spurts…He isn’t the most aware defender at times, but other times he will get you a timely steal or blocked shot…Not a great on-ball defender, but he has the athleticism to not look like a complete fish out of water on the perimeter and he has the strength and size to defend bigs…Could struggle some with the quicker SF’s and the bigger PF’s though…Decent lateral quickness…Will get you rebounds at a steady rate

 Jones’ size, athleticism, production and natural ability to be a matchup ploy make him a 1^st round pick…He’s a very talented player with very good upside and he should be even better when he matches the holes in his game (jumper, post footwork, etc)…He also has to show more maturity, and we can only hope that improves with age…He has the ability to be a very valuable weapon for a team, especially if used correctly…