Leonard Miller has given the Chicago Bulls a real frontcourt jolt just when they needed one. In the team’s first two exhibition contests, he played 37 minutes, scored 26 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, a stretch capped by a 12-point, 11-rebound outing against the Memphis Grizzlies on Oct. 19.
That game mattered because it came in the middle of a shallow big-man group, and Miller answered with production that was hard to miss. He came off the bench for 23 minutes against Memphis, scored eight points and pulled down eight rebounds before halftime, then finished with seven of his 11 rebounds on the offensive glass. Across the two exhibitions, he also added four assists, three steals and shot 10-of-18, a line that showed more than just extra size.
The performance is especially useful for Tiago Splitter because the Bulls have been forced to cover for injured bigs, with Jalen Smith, Nicolas Claxton and Zach Collins out against Memphis. That left Tobe Awaka to start at center, and it put more weight on Miller’s work off the bench. He is 6-foot-10 and 220 pounds, which gives Chicago a body it can throw into the paint, but he is not a five, and that is where the fit gets complicated.
The Bulls can use his rebounding and length, yet the role still has to be defined against a roster that needs help inside but does not need to pretend he is something he is not. Miller looks like a useful answer for now because he can give Chicago minutes, boards and second-chance chances without needing touches to matter. What remains open is how Splitter will use him once the injured big men return, because that is when preseason production stops being a promise and starts becoming a decision.
