CHICAGO (AP) — Leonard Miller had no idea what to expect when he was traded to the Chicago Bulls in February.
So far, the change of scenery is working out quite well for the 6-foot-10 forward.
It looks as if Miller is going to be a major part of Chicago's rotation in Tiago Splitter's first season as coach. He had 18 points and seven rebounds in 18 1/2 minutes in Wednesday night's 125-104 exhibition victory at Milwaukee. He is averaging a team-high 17.5
points on 65.1% shooting in the preseason.
“I think he's doing a tremendous job,” Splitter said. “Playing at the five or the four, he can do both positions. Of course, his versatility there is awesome. He can attack slower bigs and, you talk about random basketball, I think he's great at that. He's really hard to predict what he's going to do, and he's effective on those situations.”
Miller's versatility provides some insurance for Splitter while Nic Claxton and Zach Collins — two more big men for Chicago — work their way back from injuries.
Miller praised the environment with the Bulls going into his first full season with the team.
“I like the people above everything else, so I’m embracing my teammates, the coaching staff,” he said Thursday. “Everything here has been fun, has been competitive. In the culture that we’re trying to move forward with, I feel like everybody has a right mindset with that.”
The 22-year-old Miller was selected by San Antonio in the second round of the 2023 draft. But he was promptly traded to Minnesota for more draft capital.
He appeared in just 49 games over two-plus seasons with Minnesota before he was shipped off to Chicago in the Ayo Dosunmu deal. The Timberwolves visit the Bulls for their preseason finale on Friday night.
Miller said the lack of playing time didn't leave him with any negative feelings for Timberwolves coach Chris Finch or the team's front office.
“I love those guys,” he said. “Those guys, they were there when I first got in the league, so I have a lot of love for them. They always still check up on me, see how I’m doing.”
Miller flourished with a Chicago team that was closing out a disappointing 31-51 season. He averaged 11.7 points and 5.8 rebounds in 27 games, including 12 starts.
That opening stint with the Bulls set the stage for this season.
“Those body of games that I got to play, those meaningful minutes and play through mistakes, that definitely helped me right now,” Miller said, “because prior to that, I was on a Minnesota team where I didn’t get to play through mistakes, didn’t get to play in meaningful minutes. So getting that experience, it’s going to help any player in the league.”
Arturas Karnisovas was running Chicago's front office and Billy Donovan was the coach when Miller came over. But Karnisovas was fired in April and Donovan resigned after the season.
Bryson Graham took over the front office in May, and Splitter was hired as coach in June. Graham and Splitter had a decision to make on Miller, and the team announced on July 1 that it had exercised its option on his contract.
Miller, who is eligible for free agency at the end of this season, said he didn't worry at all about his future with the Bulls under Graham and Splitter.
“I mean, whether I knew them or not, I feel like the time since I’ve been here, after I got traded here, has been amazing,” he said. “I feel like I did what I got to do as a pro, putting in the work, and then on the court doing what I’ve been practicing and what I've been asked of, and I feel like me as a person getting along with everybody here in the organization, there’s no need to stress.”
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