Joey Miller joined the Westchester Knicks at the midpoint of the 2016-17 season. How did Miller look in his rookie season in the NBA G League?
After playing in three colleges (Eastern Illinois University, University of Illinois-Chicago and Dallas Baptist University) during his collegiate career, Joey Miller spent a brief time in Europe with Fiorenzuola of the Italy in the Serie C Gold League before returning stateside.
At the midway point in the NBA G League season, the Westchester Knicks added a guard to the roster. On Jan. 13, 2017, the Knicks acquired Joey Miller via the available player pool. He made his debut seven days later and played in three minutes.
Joey Miller had his best collegiate season in his senior season. Miller displayed his ability to score and the improvement he made with his shooting. In his freshmen season, he shot 33.5 from the field and 30.6 percent from deep. In his senior season, Miller shot 49.3 percent from the field and 43.8 percent from beyond the arc.
The Dallas Baptist product attributed his improvement to watching the game develop during his redshirt senior season.
“I started off my redshirt year, I broke my hand, so I really sat on the side and watched the game develop,” Joey Miller said in March of 2017. “Division II is a little different than Division I. I got to watch and get really close to the coaches to see what my role would be for the next year.”
During his rookie season in the NBA G League, Joey Miller had some bright moments. In a road match-up against the Maine Red Claws, Miller drove baseline and made a tough shot off the glass.
@SchmoProblems goes baseline and drains a reverse lay-up. pic.twitter.com/Xtbpc7EVFQ
— Chris Priczak (@chrispriczak) March 13, 2017
In another game on the road, the Knicks traveled to Fort Wayne, IN to take on the Mad Ants. Late in the third quarter, Miller was on the receiving end of a bounce pass from Doron Lamb and finished at the basket.
@SchmoProblems gets the back door feed from @DLamb20 who finishes with a lay-up. pic.twitter.com/shjK20XzTk
— Chris Priczak (@chrispriczak) March 5, 2017
Joey Miller joined the team during the middle of the season. It can be difficult for a player to jump in and have solid production and make little mistakes. Even by joining the team at the midway point of the season, Miller stated he tries to learn some thing from every game and tries not to make the same mistake the following game.
“It’s getting there,” Miller said in March of 2017. “Every game I try to take something away and learn from my mistakes. Try not to make them the next game and make the right plays. Just learning. I’ve definitely learned a lot getting to play more. Coming in at the middle of the season isn’t the easiest. Jumping into it right away, but I’ve learned a lot. Just got to keep it moving forward.”
Joey Miller had the best game of his NBA G League career on the last game of the season against the Long Island Nets. He shot the ball well from deep and recorded a career-high in rebounds.
Miller recorded 10 points, five rebounds, and two assists on 2-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc in 38 minutes. The points, rebounds, 3-point shots made, and 3-point shots attempted were all career-highs for the Dallas Baptist product.
In 25 games, Miller averaged 2.5 points and 1.2 rebounds in 15.6 minutes per game.
Must Read: Joey Miller: From Dallas Baptist To Westchester
Joey Miller showed glimpses of what he could do. When he arrived in Westchester, he saw limited action due to the guard depth the team had. As the season went on, he started to see more action. On the final game of the season, Miller played a career-high 38 minutes and had his best performance of the season.
In the last game of the 2016-17 season, Kevin Capers had one of the best games of his rookie season. He returned the following season and improved greatly. Like Capers, Joey Miller had his most productive game on that last game of the season against the Long Island Nets.
If Miller returns next season, he will have an opportunity to continue to improve his game.