2012 NBA Draft: Nuggets Land Quincy Miller With The 38th Pick

Can we say steal of the draft?

Quincy Miller was a guy that the Denver Nuggets really liked going into the draft and one that they were considering to take with the 20th pick. No doubt they are happy that he fell to them with the 38th pick.

Miller, who is only 19 years old, is one of the most talented players in the draft. He made our list as one of the top sleepers in the draft and one of the best fits for the Nuggets. He also won over Ty Lawson at his workout in Denver. He was 20th on our big board (Evan Fournier was 24th).

Like Fournier, Miller won’t make an impact on the Nuggets roster this year. Miller, who was a one and done player, is still a year or two away from playing in the NBA and many believe he is still recovering from his ACL injury in high school. Despite the injury he averaged 10.6 points and 5.0 rebounds a game for the Bears. If he stayed in college many believe he would be a top-10 pick next year.

His best game in college was during a one-point loss to then No. 5 Missouri. Miller went for 29 points on 12 of 17 shootings. It’s fair to say he has more upside than both Perry Jones and Quincy Acy – two former teammates that were drafted above him.

Some scouts have compared him to a poor man’s Kevin Durant, others have said he is similar to Detroit Pistons’ Austin Daye. He has similar stature to both players, he was listed at 6-foot-10, 219 pounds at the Draft Combine. He also had a 7-1 wingspan and a 36 inch vertical leap.

Miller will likely play on the Nuggets’  Summer League team and will also probably see time in the NBDL. He’ll have to really wow Denver’s coaches during training camp to get playing time. He is currently fourth on Denver’s depth chart, behind Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler and Corey Brewer.