Jonathan GivonyA highly regarded high school recruit according to some services—Dave Telep had him ranked as the #21 prospect in the country for example—
Ian Miller struggled to make much of an impact in his freshman season due to academic issues which continue to rear their head.
From a physical standpoint, it's not difficult to see what scouts might like about Miller, as he's got great size for a guard at 6-3, to go along with a strong frame, long arms and very good athleticism.
Billed as a point guard coming out of high school, Miller played mostly off the ball as a freshman, and showed mostly a scoring mentality when given freedom to operate.
Blessed with a picture perfect shooting stroke, Miller appears to have considerable potential as both a catch and shoot and off the dribble threat, elevating well on his jumper and showing a quick release and an excellent follow through. He made 36% of his 3-pointers as a freshman and 93% from the free throw line, despite fighting through bouts of inconsistency stemming from his erratic playing time and off-court issues.
Defensively, Miller has very good tools with his excellent size, length and quickness, and appears to have the versatility to guard both backcourt positions, which is a major plus. He puts a very good effort in, doing a nice job moving his feet and contesting shots, which is a prerequisite for getting minutes on the team he plays for, one of the best defensive squads in college basketball.
As a playmaker and shot-creator, Miller isn't quite as effective at this stage. Capable of scoring in transition thanks to his strong physical tools, Miller doesn't show great polish in the half-court, only converting a paltry 43% of his two-point attempts last season. He's just an average ball-handler and isn't able to get to the rim as much as you'd expect considering his athleticism. He doesn't show much of a left hand, only plays at one speed, and doesn't do a great job finishing through contact at this stage.
Miller's court vision and decision making skills are still underdeveloped, and his shot selection often leaves something to be desired. He tends to dribble with his head down, and will force the issue trying to thread the needle with a spectacular pass, instead of just making the simple play.
He sported a negative assist to turnover ratio last season, but did make some very nice passes on occasion that hinted at good things that might come in the future. Unfortunately, his lack of experience definitely held him back at times, and he really could have used a full year running the point this season, which unfortunately does not look likely at this stage.
According to the word on the street, Miller will not be eligible to play during the fall semester at Florida State, due to the fact that he did not pass the minimum amount of credits required from him last spring.
Florida State thus went out and recruited an experienced point guard in Jeff Peterson who is eligible to play out his last season of college basketball immediately since he graduated from Arkansas already.
If he's able to make the grade, Miller will likely be able to play starting in December, which puts him at a pretty big disadvantage as far as this season goes.
While Miller definitely shows strong long-term potential, the fact that NBA scouts haven't been able to see much from him thus far means that he's likely a ways away from being discussed as a serious prospect. A player to keep an eye on in the in-conference portion of Florida State's schedule, it will likely be at least another year until we're able to get a full gauge on his pro potential.
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