CJ Miles

Strengths: Sweet-shooting lefty is the rare seasoned veteran with a very high ceiling…Five seasons under his belt and still just 23…Jumper is beautiful, rarely touches the rim when he's on…Range extends a few feet beyond the arc…Good at shooting with a hand in his face…Has become more confident driving to the basket…Very smooth taking the ball to the hole, can finish with either hand…Size, speed and agility make him a prototypical swingman…Good on the break, a solid finisher…Possesses some explosiveness, though he's more comfortable in the role of the shooter…Very quick and has a long stride…His ability to put the ball on the floor and create has done wonders for his game and his confidence…Length allows him to frustrate his man on defense…Steady development as a scorer suggests that he could one day become a go-to guy…Embraced a bigger role in the playoffs with Okur and Kirilenko injured, averaging 14.4 points in 33.7 minutes…Getting better at shooting off the dribble…Left-handed release is very hard to defend…Still has plenty of room to grow.

Weakness: Incredibly streaky; can knock down threes on back-to-back possessions, then not hit a shot the rest of the game…Not great at getting separation in order to shoot pull-ups…Appears to prefer shooting contested threes to relatively open jumpers…Still could use at least 10 pounds…Size and fluidity suggest he should be a better ball-handler…Can drift in and out…Won't be mistaken for a great passer…Buckles down on defense but is very vulnerable due to his lack of bulk and none-too-impressive instincts as an on-ball defender…Needs to become more comfortable in isolation situations.

Sam Littman 7/10/10