Baba Miller Scouting Report

Breaking down Baba Miller, a potential hidden star in the 2026 NBA Draft

For the first time since I started following and covering the NBA Draft, I finally feel like a veteran of the process. Over the past four years, I have considered myself new to the craft, still learning and gathering new info with each and every cycle. However, now that I have witnessed Baba Miller go through a complete four-year cycle that can be described as nothing short of a roller coaster ride, I can finally consider myself an experienced member of the NBA Draft community. Miller’s collegiate basketball story started once upon a time at Florida State all the way back in 2022.

Roller Coaster Career

Entering his freshman season, many considered him to be one of, if not the single most intriguing prospect in the class, hoping to continue to build upon the momentum he had built in overseas play. However, Miller’s freshman season went about as poorly as possible, as eligibility issues plagued the first half of the year, forcing the already extremely raw talent to be thrown directly into the wolves, joining the Seminoles well over halfway through what was already a dysfunctional year. As a result, Miller never found his footing, never asserted himself into draft talks and was forced to return to Florida State for another year.

In his sophomore year, things were better, but not by a lot. Miller averaged 7.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.1 blocks a game, which was solid, but not enough production to mask his vastly underdeveloped skill set. Because of this, Miller chose to enter the transfer portal in search of a new home that both gave him more opportunity, but still presented developmental opportunities. He landed at FAU, which was looking to rebuild a broken roster following the departure of nearly the entire roster that saw them make back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances, one of which was a Final Four run. Miller stepped in and, from day one, it was clear that this was the right spot for him. He posted averages of 11.3 points a game, 7.0 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.7 blocks, even shooting 34.2% from three — a number I soon came to realize was far too good to be true.

Following his stellar junior year, Miller chose to hit the portal once again, this time transferring up in competition in hopes of finding a sustainable, final home. Eventually, he landed at Cincinnati, which, albeit not the best team in the world — rather far from it — still provided a situation in which Miller could thrive. And well, he thrived, averaging career highs in points, rebounds, assists, field goal percentage, free throw percentage, free throw rate, usage rate and so many more. In short, it was the dream landing spot for Miller, who was able to both show off the improvements he had made to his game in a controlled environment that could help cover up some areas in which he lacked. Was his season perfect? No. But, at least in my opinion, he did enough to assert himself back into the first-round talks that he was chasing all those years ago.

Physicals

The biggest thing – no pun intended – that stands out when watching Miller on the court is his size. One of his biggest drawbacks when he initially burst into the draft sphere was his lack of mass, an issue that has since plagued him. Miller always had the positional length, something he proved at the combine when he measured in at 6-foot-10 and a half inches barefoot, with a 7-foot-1 and three-quarters of an inch wingspan. What did come as a pleasant surprise, or rather an affable confirmation based on what we have seen over the past year, was his 208.2-pound listing. Miller still isn’t a strength freak who can throw opposing bodies around with ease, but he is much more developed than previously and has continuously shown development over the past couple of years. However, even those measurements on top of his 9-foot-3 standing reach grade out as pretty middle of the pack for a modern NBA center. What doesn’t grade out as average was everything else he did in Chicago.

Numbers via Tawny Park Metrics

Setting aside Miller’s pair of stellar scrimmages, his raw athletic testing may have been just as impressive. His 34.5-inch vertical landed him in the 79th percentile of centers and yet somehow, that was the least impressive thing he did. Miller’s lane agility time of 10.71 seconds put him in the 99th percentile of centers, while his 2.7-second shuttle run put him in the 98th percentile. In simpler terms, dude’s an athletic freak. And when you pair the knowledge of how athletic he is on paper with the things he showed on tape, it’s hard to argue that Miller won’t enter the league as one of the NBA’s most athletic big men. How exactly said athleticism can be utilized is, of course, the giant looming question, but nonetheless, athleticism will likely be the backbone of his career if utilized properly.

Offensive Repertoire

- Positional Playmaking

Beyond Miller’s first-class athletic gifts, the area that I find him to be most polished in offensively is his value as a playmaker. It’s rare to find any player who can be as steady of a hand and make the kind of passes Miller does, let alone one who is pushing 7 feet tall. Miller has consistently shown the ability to manipulate defenses with the live dribble, creating passing lanes to whip passes through. This skill is especially prominent in transition, as the open floor both gives Miller more creative freedom with his dribble, allowing him to counter aggressive defenders who try to get underneath him, along with the fast pace benefiting his mind, giving him the chance to quickly decipher defenses and make the right reads. His passing isn’t just a transition gimmick that will be drowned out in the NBA either. Miller can be used as a legit hub offensively in the half court as well, giving teams freedom to experiment with how they use him. Miller was great at throwing wraparound passes and overhead skip passes, using his length to see over the defense and make plays that other, smaller players just flat out can’t. This allowed him to be a force as a mid-post hub, catching the ball in the middle of the court and allowing the rest of the team to create their own opportunities. Cincinnati would run handoffs over the top of him, set stagger or flare screens away from the ball, doing anything to create a window for Miller to sneak the ball into. They also used him both as a roll man, but also on occasion as a ball handler in the pick and roll. Miller once again was able to utilize his ridiculously polished handle for a player his size to shield off defenders and create opportunities moving downhill. He plays with surprisingly good pace for a player his size too, jailing off defenders and waiting for the right moment to jump to a spot or swing a pass over the top.

It isn’t just anecdotal evidence that I used to come to this conclusion either, as the numbers also back it up. Last season, Miller posted a 23.3% assist rate, which put him in the 98th percentile of centers, along with a 1.7 assist-to-turnover ratio that put him in the 89th percentile. Continuing on with the trend of outlier playmaking numbers in all the right ways, Miller posted a 1.0 assist-to-usage rate, a ridiculously impressive feat for a center and a number that put him in the 99th percentile of players at his position. And before anyone attacks me saying “Miller is a power forward, not a center,” I do want to say that I’m not entirely inclined to disagree with you. However, Miller undoubtedly acted as the Bearcats’ center last season, meaning that all of his numbers are compared against other centers in this class. Segueing away from all that and into the not-so-positive part about his playmaking, which as I’m sure you could guess, is the turnovers. Miller does a relatively good job at staying turnover-averse given the role he was asked to play, but I can’t ignore the fact that a 16.2% turnover rate is just flat out too high. With that said, his turnover rate has improved year to year, which is an impressive feat given his gradual rise in usage. However, if Miller truly wants to be the playmaking threat that I tout him as in the NBA, he will need to cut out some of the sloppier mistakes. Things like dribbling off his own foot, making overambitious passes into non-existent windows and flat out errant passes just can’t happen. I do believe that in a smaller role those mistakes will naturally become fewer and farther between, but the question also arises of how he will adjust to NBA athletes. Nonetheless, I like what I see and am widely encouraged by Miller’s long-term outlook as a playmaker.

- Limited Scoring Arsenal

For as much as us evaluators can fall in love with other aspects of players’ games, at the end of the day, the most valuable thing in basketball still is and will always be putting the ball in the basket. The path for 90% of NBA draft prospects to be successful at the next level is predicated on their ability to score, even if it isn’t in high volume. Just having one or two skills to fall back on that force defenders to pay attention to said player when the ball is in their hands is enough for almost every single role player to get by, and in Miller’s case, he has some tools. Unshockingly, the area where the 6-foot-10½ athletic freak is most effective as a scorer is at the basket. In fact, inside of 11 feet, Miller is about as good as they come, shooting 60.9% from within that range, with those attempts accounting for well over half of his shot diet. At the rim, Miller is aggressive and utilizes every gift he has to create finishing opportunities. He is lethal in transition, as previously mentioned, possessing the ability to get to his spots and put consistent pressure on the rim. In the half court, he does most of his work as a roll man, attacking closeouts or operating in the post, all areas in which he excels. Miller does a great job of eating up open spaces on drives to find the right angle, hunting and absorbing contact along the way. Once he gets a head of steam, as I’m sure you can imagine, he is a tough guy not to foul, reflected by his 53.2% free-throw rate in his senior year. As for his post game, Miller keeps things simple, mostly using the post as a weapon when guarded by smaller players, overpowering them and forcing his way to his spots. When it comes to actually finishing at the rim, as I hinted at earlier, Miller is stellar, converting on 65.6% of his at-rim finishes, 57 of which were dunks.

However, as I also previously mentioned, inside 11 feet is the sweet spot for him. Once Miller steps outside of that range, things take a steep turn downhill, a trend that only continues to build the farther he moves back. Miller shot just 20.1% on all of his shot attempts that exceeded 11 feet, a number that is painfully low and will likely have to get fixed before he is ready for NBA minutes. He shot a putrid 19.2% from three as well, doing so on three attempts per 100 possessions. The outside shooting regression of Miller is actually what fascinates me most with his evaluation, as even as recently as last year, he was taking serious strides in the right direction. Say what you will about the competition he was facing at FAU, but he still shot 34.2% from three on nearly six attempts per 100 possessions, a genuinely good mark for a player with his skill set to have. Even if this was an outlier season and he were to regress back to his typical mean, one would think that mean would be closer to a flat 30% rather than sub-20%. Even more confusing, he didn’t make any severe structural changes to his shot. He still has the same wide-based shot where the ball starts on the left side of his body before making its way back to the right as he finishes with a clean flick at the top. His release is high and consistent as well, adding even more confusion to his shooting outlook, which doesn’t seem to have any structural flaws. Overall, the shot is confusing and quite frankly all over the place, but if he can return to where he once was, or even be in the ballpark, I have no doubts that Miller will end up being an impactful scorer given his projected role.

- Overall Value

All in all, I would consider Miller to be a fun offensive tool. Teams will have to get creative with how they use him in the half court, mixing up how he is utilized both as a ball handler and as an off-ball mover. Along with that, I reckon teams will like the idea of using him in the weak-side dunker spot, coaching him up on the right times to duck in or seal in order to claim an easy two points. In transition, however, there is no doubt Miller can be an impact player. His handle and overall creativity will allow him to be trusted with the ball in his hands, and when paired with his plus positional playmaking, teams will no doubt have their fun with how they get him involved. Miller has already proven himself to be an impact player offensively, posting a 2.2 ORAPM and 3.1 OBPM last season, and given his developmental trajectory — minus the shooting — he seems prone to continue making strides and rounding out an already wildly intriguing skill set.

Defensive Weapon

- Interior Presence

It probably goes without saying that interior defense is a must-have for modern NBA centers. Those who lack it, especially rotational bigs, tend to get phased out come playoff time, as if teams can’t trust them to hold down the paint, easy scoring avenues get created for opponents. In Miller’s case, I have pretty much no concern. He isn’t necessarily someone I would trust to anchor an entire defense on high volume, at least not right now, but he has proven to at least be capable of holding his own when tasked with protecting the rim. Miller puts his athletic gifts to perfect use on the inside, covering large sums of ground in short periods of time and showcasing the ability to rise up above the square to swat shots away. Along with that, he possesses great timing, especially when trailing behind drivers, allowing him to meet the basketball before it reaches its apex, which in turn gives him the opportunity to block the ball back in play. That is a very underrated skill to have, as blocking the ball in play allows for transition opportunities to be created, which is obviously much more advantageous than swatting the ball into the third row and resetting the possession. Now, I will say, sometimes a good volleyball-spike block is exactly what’s needed to create energy or build momentum for the entire team, but the majority of the time, just blocking the shot works fine. And even with how impressive his tape is, one could easily argue that his numbers are even better. Last season, Miller posted an impressive 4.2% block rate, along with ranking in the 74th percentile as a rim deterrer. Teams in general were flat-out worse around the basket with Miller on the floor, shooting 2% worse at the rim when sharing the floor with him, a number that puts Miller in the 90th percentile of centers. Impressive stuff for a guy who doesn’t have elite positional size.

What’s even more impressive, however, is Miller’s rebounding ability — a trait that you could argue is his best. Last season, Miller posted a Big 12-best 27.7% defensive rebound rate, putting him in the 88th percentile of big men, along with opposing teams grabbing 1.7 offensive rebounds per 40 minutes with Miller on the floor. That mark puts him in the 82nd percentile, once again reiterating just how impressive that is for a guy who doesn’t have elite size. For typical big men, defensive rebounding isn’t the most valuable trait to have, rather more of a requirement that needs to be met. However, for a player like Miller who is so tantalizing with the ball in his hands — especially in transition — possessing the ability to rebound at an elite rate greatly benefits the team in its entirety. Rather than the ball having to be swung around to find a capable ball handler, when Miller grabs a board he can start the break himself, giving his team yet another offensive advantage created through the defensive end. Rebounding is often an afterthought when evaluating big men, but for Miller, it’s arguably his most valuable trait.

- Switch-ability and Versatility

Beyond what Miller brings as a rim protector, he too possesses the ability to impact games vitally with his versatility. So rarely are there players who can both bring high-end rim protection and scheme versatility at the same time, so for a player like Miller who can do both on any given night, it makes him all the more valuable. His athleticism again shines through in this sector of his game, as Miller is able to stay light on his feet, gliding across the court to stay in front of quicker guys. His fast feet allow him to guard one through three pretty comfortably, even showcasing the ability to shut down guards in specific situations. Staying in front of guys is just one step in the equation though, as once he cuts players off, making the right decision is critical. Oftentimes — bigs in particular — can get caught reaching when they cut guys off, believing that when they are close enough to their smaller opponent, they can allow their length to take over and get them a cheap steal. However, guards are crafty with the ball and have ways to punish overambitious bigs, leading to some cheap fouls for the greedy. In Miller’s case, I would almost say the opposite is true, as I left his evaluation thinking he could probably take more chances than he did. Last year he posted just a 1.3% steal rate and only 2.9 fouls per 40 possessions, two numbers that could easily go up without Miller having to worry about being played off the floor because of fouls. In his case, Miller likes to catch guys entirely with his chest, which works with guards and smaller wings, but more physically developed players can check him off his spot, creating space for a potential shot. Miller still had the length necessary to recover from that spot and defend most shots at the college level. But in the NBA, when he’s faced with bigger, better athletes, I wonder if he will have that same luxury. Nonetheless, he has given me no reason to worry yet, as opponents were undoubtedly worse when guarded by Miller last season. Opposing players shot 1.6% under their typical average from two when guarded by him, and 1.8% worse from three. Both of those marks land firmly in the 90th percentile, once again showcasing just how valuable of a defensive weapon Miller can be.

However, where his versatility will likely shine the most at the NBA level is in pick-and-roll coverage. If he can ever get to a spot where teams can trust him to consistently guard fives, Miller will likely be forced to guard a fair amount of ball screens, forcing his hand on how he chooses to defend them. A lot of teams will let him sit in the drop, keeping everything in front of him and allowing him to clean up at the basket — something he has showcased he can do. Other teams will want him to play a bit more aggressively, hedging screens and trusting that he has the athletic tools necessary to recover to his man when the time is right — another thing he can do. Other teams will just flat out ask Miller to switch screens, believing that he has the mobility necessary to stick with any and everyone who tests him in that realm. And as I’m sure you have picked up on the trend by now, because he can also do just that.

- Scheme Versatility

Overall, Miller projects to be a very useful defensive weapon at the NBA level. He will give teams the freedom to use him in whichever way they so please, ranging from weakside rim protection to an aggressive perimeter defensive approach, maybe even at the point of attack on certain guys — who knows. What I do know is that Miller will be a coach's dream on defense, as it will likely never be a worry figuring out how to keep him on the floor at that end. To this point, Miller has, at worst, held his own in any kind of coverage that has been thrown his way and has given no reason to believe that he won't do the exact same at the NBA level.

NBA Future

Projecting an NBA future for prospects is a nearly impossible task, and in Miller’s case it’s no different. I wouldn’t consider him to be a situation-dependent player, as I believe that as long as he lands in a spot with a creative coaching staff, he can make an impact from day one. Along with that, I don’t think Miller has any swing skills that his NBA future is predicated on. Some may point to his outside shot as a flaw that has to get cleaned up, but even if he never shoots the ball remotely efficiently, Miller still brings enough to the table to lead me to believe that he can be an impact player.

With that said, if Miller were to develop into an average or above-average outside shooter, along with continuing to improve his frame and processing, I think there is a real world where he ends up being a near All-Star-level talent. There just flat out aren’t many human beings on this planet who can do some of the things that Miller can do, and even fewer who can blend it all together. He may need some time to figure out the kinks in his game and adjust to the NBA pace, but I have little doubt in my mind that Baba Miller will be an impact player for years to come.