Similar to Keaton Wagler, second-round pick Baba Miller has been ignored by head coach Tyronn Lue in the active rotation. He is up to 10.5 minutes per game, but a deeper look at the game log shows he’s mostly been on the court in garbage time or when another big man is injured (for example Isaiah Jackson against the New Orleans Pelicans). Miller still hasn't gotten consistent playing time, even though he's proven he deserves it.
Despite the tough circumstances, Miller leads the entire team in net rating at 6.5 among qualifying players (min. 10 minutes per game). This is a mind-blowing statistic, and it shows how strong an impact he has every time he steps onto the court.
For what it’s worth, Brook Lopez’s net rating is -0.3, and Jackson’s is the worst on the team at -20.4.
Baba Miller has been extremely impactful for the LA Clippers despite minimal playing time
On a team that is losing at the rate the LA Clippers are (2-8), it is extremely challenging to log a positive impact. This is because they are usually getting outscored by their opponents, which pushes advanced metrics, like net rating, into the negatives.
Hence, only four Clippers players currently have a positive net rating.
Due to the fact that you can literally feel the game shift in the right direction when Baba Miller is on the court, he’s one of them.
The 22-year-old can score the ball well for a rookie, hold his ground on defense, and even chip in areas where the Clippers desperately need help, for example, rebounding.
Just look at his night against the Phoenix Suns. He played only 16 minutes, but he still finished the game tied for a team-high in points while shooting 100% from the field.
Additionally, Miller (led the team with a +9) was one of two players with a positive +/-, the other being Jalen Pickett, which points to him swinging the momentum toward the Clippers’ direction.
That said, based on the numbers above and everything we’ve seen from him, Miller should undoubtedly have a spot in the rotation. It’s mind-boggling that he doesn’t, especially when he’s done nothing but outplay guys like Isaiah Jackson.
Hopefully this realization clicks with Tyronn Lue, and he makes the necessary changes. If not, and Miller is still left to barely play, the Clippers will be setting themselves up for failure.
Add us as a preferred source on Google