Alabama head men’s basketball coach Nate Oats was out in Las Vegas on Tuesday watching some of his former players go at it in the NBA Summer League. And while Oats spoke on the broadcast during a game between the Portland Trailblazers and Charlotte Hornets, former Alabama star Brandon Miller poured it on for the Hornets.
Despite 26 points from Miller and a game-high 33 from former Arkansas guard Nick Smith Jr., the Hornets fell, 97-93. But that wasn’t stopping Oats from raving about what Miller could be in the NBA.
“He’s a shot maker, he obviously scores at a high level. But he handles it well, pick and rolls. Put the ball in his hands a little bit more this half, he’s played well with it. He’s a two-way guy. He can guard. Rebounds. Does a lot of things that impact winning. Arguably had our best season ever and he was a big part of the reason why,” Oats said.
Oats shared that, on top of his physical ability, Miller has it going between the ears, too.
“He’s smart, he’s got a high IQ,” Oats said. “He asks good questions. He has good comments. Stuff’s not going well, he’ll get the team together. And if you need a bucket, he’ll go get a bucket, too. He’s got the IQ to go with the physical talent. He’s got the whole package in my opinion.”
On Tuesday, that “whole package” put together a sterling performance. Along with 26 points on 53.3% shooting from the field, Miller pulled down six rebounds and had a pair of assists. He made 3-of-6 from beyond the 3-point arc, too.
He highlighted the performance with a handful of highlight dunks for good measure.
Oats rightly identified it as Miller’s best game of the Summer League to date.
“Brandon’s playing his best game, too. So I’m fired up. We might need to come out here a little more often,” Oats said.
Oats quipped that he’s glad Miller went to Charlotte, so he can manage to get out to a few games during the season. It’s a lot closer than plenty of other NBA cities.
And either way, Oats is confident he’ll be seeing Miller plenty going forward.
“He’s just, he’s a really good kid. And when the Charlotte community gets to know him, they’re going to love him. He’s great. He’s super fun. His mom and brother and sister are sitting in the front row, they’re all really good people too. He comes from a great family, he’s a great kid. We loved having him in Tuscaloosa for the year we had him. He’ll be back a lot. He’s a big Alabama football fan, too,” Oats said.
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