Brandon Miller compares himself to Paul George

Today, most teams use a Slipp-Nott and have customized pads with their team logos, but the price for those pads is now $588. “That’s like my lifesaver,” Golden State Warriors forward Anthony Lamb said. “I always play in the same shoes, so sometimes when I’m running out of shoes, and my shoes are beat up, I’m going to need that sticky pad.” Lamb plays in the black colorway version of Nike’s Paul George 6 sneakers; worn-down pairs sit near his locker, with fresh pairs in boxes. Sometimes he wears the shoes “five games too long,” he said, and they become slippery. -via New York Times / May 27, 2023

“I mean, that’s LeBron’s decision,” George told me during our interview. “He’s given us 20 amazing years, it’s crazy that we’re still baffled that he’s thinking about retirement with all he’s done and all he’s given this game. I think… at some point I think that’s what he’s holding onto… I hope he can…he may have just taken time off to re-gather, regroup and come back when it’s time to play with his son.” -via Clutch Points / May 27, 2023

Far shorter, he said, was the list of the plans that had yet to materialize. Injuries have cut short each of the team’s last three postseason runs, including in 2021, when the deepest postseason in franchise history ended in the conference finals — a run he feels confident would have gone further if healthy. “I would have liked to have won one or more championships in the four years that we’ve had Paul and Kawhi, but every team that tries to win a championship and doesn’t wishes that they would have won a championship,” Winger said. “I mean, certainly winning at the highest level would have been awesome. What else? That’s really it.” -via Los Angeles Times / May 26, 2023

Draft expert Jonathan Givony, in an appearance on The Woj Pod, revealed that teams don’t necessarily find Brandon Miller’s answers regarding his connection to the Darius Miles murder case back in February to be satisfactory. “[Charlotte and Portland] have questions that still need to be answered. [Miller] went into his interviews at the NBA combine and told them, ‘Teams, I can’t talk about this specific stuff of the case. I can’t do the play-by-play of what happened that night. Here’s a legal document that my lawyers have prepared. It explains everything you need to know. I’m willing to talk about any other topic, but not that,’” Givony said. “That’s not good enough for teams.” -via Clutch Points / May 27, 2023

Adam Finkelstein, the director of scouting for 247 Sports, also reported that Miller looked “leaner than expected” and mentioned the illness as well. Givony and Jeremy Woo later provided more details (via ESPN): “It’s unclear what type of workout Miller — who was recovering at home in Nashville, Tennessee, from mononucleosis while his peers were training for the pre-draft process — will be able to conduct on his visit to Charlotte. Miller has lost 13 pounds and hasn’t had much basketball activity since the season ended, his agent, Wilmer Jackson, confirmed to ESPN.” -via For The Win / May 26, 2023

Shams Charania: Alabama’s Brandon Miller, set to be among top 2023 NBA picks, sits down with @Stadium: “I feel like I’m No. 1, but you can’t beat 7-5, 8-foot wingspan.” On becoming a defensive force after taking his first charge foul in college, modeling after Pacers Paul George, and much more. pic.twitter.com/kswkBbeDWk -via Twitter @ShamsCharania / May 24, 2023