Leonard Miller spent the first 16 games of the 2025-26 season marooned in deep-bench obscurity, logging low-leverage minutes that rarely helped his team. On 12/31 vs ATL, he managed a season-high 7 points in just 8 minutes, yet still posted a negative -3.3 Impact score. Those buckets were essentially empty calories, dragged down by a complete lack of rebounding or playmaking that rendered his floor time a net negative. His longest stint of the stretch came on 11/18 vs DAL, where 10 minutes of action yielded zero points and a brutal -10.8 Impact. Clanking both of his outside shots and failing to score entirely made him a massive offensive liability that night. He finally found a fleeting bright spot on 01/07 vs MIA, generating a rare +1.3 Impact by hitting all three of his field goals for 6 points and grabbing 3 boards in just five minutes. Until he can consistently replicate that kind of efficient execution, Miller will remain firmly tethered to the end of the bench.

Leonard Miller’s mid-season stretch was defined by a drastic role change, evolving from a garbage-time afterthought into a heavy-minute starter. He finally broke out of his early-February funk on 03/01 vs MIL, logging 15 points and four assists off the bench. His stellar +12.5 Impact score in that contest stemmed from ruthless offensive efficiency, as he hit six of his eight shots and kept the ball moving. However, his promotion to the starting lineup hit a snag shortly after on 03/05 vs PHX. Despite grabbing nine rebounds, Miller posted a dismal -7.2 Impact because of brutal shot selection, bricking all five of his three-point attempts and dragging down the half-court offense. He quickly corrected course by putting together a massive double-double on 03/10 vs GSW. Pounding the glass for 11 rebounds and scoring 17 points over 38 grueling minutes, he generated a massive +16.3 Impact through relentless hustle and physical interior defense.