By Panos Katsiroumbas/ info@eurohoops.net
Quincy Miller boosted his value in the basketball market after his excellent season with Crvena Zvezda and Maccabi want to win the… bet of his selection.
Just two years after rising to the top of Europe, Maccabi Tel Aviv had one of their most difficult years. They failed miserably in the Euroleague as they were knocked out of the Top 16, while they lost the Cup as well as the championship in Israel. The management decided to strengthen the team by drastically increasing the budget and one of their first moves was to add to their manpower one of the players-revelation of this season with Crvena Zvezda, the super athletic forward, Quincy Miller.
Who he is
Quincy Miller started his basketball career at Baylor University, playing there only for one year. He had a great year and he was selected as the best freshman in the Big 12 conference in which his university competed. He got in the draft and was selected with the 38th pick by the Denver Nuggets, but he never really managed to get a role or enough playing time in the team, despite staying for two years and playing in several games. He passed through teams of the NBA development league, while he also signed some 10-day contracts with other teams of the NBA before deciding to take the step and go to Europe to join Crvena Zvezda. This choice proved to be the right one as he boosted his value but also his cache.
What he can do
In theory, Maccabi’s selection is ideal, since Miller is a player who fits the competitive style of the people’s team. A team that runs, looks for easy points in transition, puts emphasis on the offensive talent of the players, while giving them enough freedom to showcase their skills outside of systems as well.
Miller can give Maccabi so much with his athleticism and his talent with the ball on the court but also his good shooting from the perimeter. The people’s team is a team that likes having players who can open up the court from the 4 position, testing Smith as well as Landesberg in this position for extended periods. Miller can give them what both these players gave them, but he’s also very explosive with the ball on the court, knows how to read spaces and cut inside the gaps of the defense when moving without the ball.
He’s a very good rebounder, he can offer a lot on the open court, while he can put the ball on the floor with ease, either going all the way to the basket or executing with a shot from mid-distance. He’s a good enough defender on the one-on-one, but he has to improve his attentiveness with regards to team defenses, especially if Maccabi keeps playing this adjustment zone system they seem to prefer in recent years.
What he has to control is his enthusiasm and some rash choices that stem from it. If he manages to do this, then he will definitely be able to do great things with Maccabi. It’s going to be quite an intriguing season both for him as well as his new team.