Leonard Miller Will Be The X-Factor For The Chicago Bulls

The Chicago Bulls turned one of their biggest weaknesses into a strength over the course of this offseason. Last season, Chicago struggled with size despite having 6-foot-7 guard Josh Giddey as one of their central players. Under former head coach Billy Donovan, the Bulls often utilized three-guard lineups and undersized bigs like Guerschon Yabusele at the five. Fast-forward to now, and the Bulls have seven players who are 6-foot-8-inches or taller who figure to play a real role in their rotation. Out of all of these lanky players, Leonard Miller is the name that stands out to me as a player poised for a "breakout season." 

Leonard Miller stands at 6-foot-10 and 220 lbs. He sparingly received garbage-time minutes throughout the start of the season, but started to receive real burn around the 60-game mark.

Miller received 23 minutes in the Bulls February 26th, 2026 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. But several games later--game 65 of the regular season--Miller showed exactly why I feel he will be so integral to next season's rotation. On March 10th, 2026, the Bulls defeated the Golden State Warriors 130-124 in OT. The story of the game was Buzelis' career-high 41 points, but Miller was a team-high +14 and played a key role in the win. 

In the aforementioned 130-124 win over the Warriors, Miller chipped in a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double.  

In the above video, the first highlight--at the 18-second mark--showcases Miller grabbing an offensive rebound/loose ball and firing a quick pass to Buzelis. Miller then immediately goes to set a screen for Buzelis. That play encompasses everything that makes Miller an X-factor for the Bulls. 

Simply put, Leonard Miller thrives on doing the "dirty work." 

Miller uses his 6-foot-10, 220 lb. frame to fight for every ball that comes off the rim. Despite not becoming a factor until later in the season, Miller finished 6th on the Bulls in RPG (5.8). Bulls offseason addition Nic Claxton isn't the strongest defensive rebounder at the center spot, so Miller will be a big part pf Chicago's rebounding by committee. 

Since Miller's game is built around hitting the glass, finishing at the rim and possessing a low usage rate (18%), he doesn't need to become a 3-point shooter. Nonetheless, he showed great strides in the floor spacing department last season.

It's already tough to imagine Miller having a small role, and it will be impossible to imagine if last season's 35.6% from 3-point range (over 27 games in Chicago) was real. Miller was abysmal from 3-point range during his time with the Minnesota Timberwolves, but he also was receiving inconsistent playing time then. 

Over the 2025-26 season Miller shot .083% from 3-point range over 19 games with Minnesota prior to the aforementioned 35.6% from 3-point with Chicago on low volume (3.2 attempts per game). 

If Miller can consistently hit the open 3-point shot, you can almost certainly expect the Bulls to ink a new deal for him. But for just next season, Miller’s contributions will be more important than the average fan would expect on the surface. 

Miller is a bit bulkier than Buzelis, and thusly took a decent amount of power forward—and key scorers in general—matchups defensively. This allowed Buzelis more freedom to roam off-ball and continue to provide rim protection.  

The Bulls No. 4 overall pick Caleb Wilson is an aggressive rebounder and finisher. But any minutes he shares with Miller will allow Wilson to better focus on improving his perimeter game and ball-handling. 

Miller being a solid contributor for the Bulls was a big surprise last season. This season, Miller will be the X-factor that ultimately helps decide if this young Bulls team can make a surprising Play-In push.