The dynamic wing.
Indiana men’s basketball landed it’s third portal commitment in two days with Jasai Miles joining the Hoosiers from North Florida.
Miles is a true modern wing, with most recruiting sites listing him as a guard, but with a 6’6” 205 lb frame that led to him playing almost exclusively at the three spot last season. In that role, he averaged 15.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game.
The first thing that jumps out about Miles (forgive the pun) might be his athleticism and leaping ability. His first step might be the quickest on the roster, as of now, and he’s also probably the best candidate for emphatically finishing lobs at the rim.
As his scouting video notes, only 37% of his attempts came at the rim last year, but joining Indiana’s shooting-filled roster may lead to more quality interior looks off the drive or slash for Miles from the wing.
In a perimeter-based offense at North Florida, Miles took a high volume of 3-pointers last season, averaging 7.3 attempts per game, hitting 33.5% of them.
His 3-point shooting percentage did increase with the higher volume as a sophomore, but his concerning free throw stats (64.6% from the line on his career) should make him a candidate for fewer shots with guys like Lamar Wilkerson and Tucker DeVries around him.
That said, Miles is best when he has time and space to shoot, so kick-outs and transition looks from the pass first point guards like Conor Enright and Tayton Conerway could help establish him as more of a perimeter threat next season.
One of the most intriguing things about Miles is that he’s a younger prospect than what Indiana has on its roster, outside of high school commit Trent Sisley. While four of the six roster players will be out of eligibility after this year, Miles can come back for another year.
Another interesting thing to consider is his fit on a roster with skilled, smaller guards that lack his athleticism off the dribble.
While he’s unlikely to overtake Conerway or Enright for primary ballhandling minutes, pairing him with either one of them, Wilkerson, and DeVries would challenge opposing defenses to contend with multiple plus shooters, passers, and drivers.
Whether he earns a starting spot or not, Miles should be a good rotation piece for Indiana because of the mismatch potential his size, athleticism, and ball handling will pose for some of the bigger, slower wings in the Big Ten.