Though his stat sheet has been mostly bare, Daniel Miller's improved play is one reason why Georgia Tech has a two-game win streak entering Saturday's game at Virginia.
Miller, a 6-foot-11 center, has anchored the center of the Yellow Jackets' defense, which was phenomenal in recent wins against Wake Forest and North Carolina. The Deacons made 25.9 percent of their shots, and the Tar Heels made 27.6 percent.
"My role on the team right now is The Defensive Man," Miller said. "I just am trying to help the team. I need to make sure that my man doesn't get a rebound. If I do that, then I have had a good night."
While he hasn't pitched a shutout, he held Wake's Carson Desrosiers to three points and five rebounds. More impressive, he held North Carolina's Tyler Zeller, who is one of the ACC's better big men, to nine points and three rebounds. The two opponents combined to miss six of nine shots.
He's more than just an immovable object inside. He had two steals against the Deacons, both of which came near midcourt. He had the presence of mind to feed Moe Miller for a dunk after the first steal. After the second, he fed Iman Shumpert, who passed it to Jason Morris for a dunk. Daniel Miller seemed particularly happy with the steals in critiquing his performance after the game.
Miller will be matched against Assane Sene, a 7-foot center from Senegal, against Virginia (10-8, 1-3 ACC). Sene averages just 3.4 points per game this season, so he won't present the same offensive issues as Zeller.
But his defense is just part of the story. After praising Miller's performance against North Carolina, Hewitt praised him again after the win against the Deacons, saying the screens being set by Miller and fellow big men Nate Hicks and Kammeon Holsey on offense are the reason why Shumpert and Glen Rice have combined to score 95 points in the past two games.
"Now, we are just more in sync with each other," Shumpert said. "We are setting screens tighter and coming off of them better and guys are getting open and raising their shooting percentage."
Now, Miller just needs to get his offense going. He averages 4.3 points per game and is shooting 45.6 percent, which is a bit low considering most of his shots come in or near the free-throw lane.
They tried to get him the ball early against Wake Forest, but Miller said he couldn't get his shots to fall. Hewitt attributed the missed shots to Miller setting up a bit too far from the basket, but said he will soon begin to finish those plays.
"I know that even if he isn't scoring, he will get his hands on the ball getting steals, blocked shots, tipped passes, rebound well, block out well he is doing a lot of good things," Hewitt said.
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
