15k points, 7.8k assists, 4.5k rebounds. Numbers don’t lie.
Disclaimer: I am not claiming that Andre Miller is the best point guard in the history of the game. I don’t think that anyone would be foolish enough to make that statement. However, he is the best to not be spoken of as a star.
Recently I was watching a Denver Nuggets game when they played the Blazers. There I was just enjoying the game when a stat popped up. This season Andre Miller became one of only 8-9 players in history to have more than 15,ooo points and more than 7,500 assists.
The other players included John Stockton, Marc Jackson, Magic Johnson, Steve Nash, Jason Kidd… etc. You know, Hall of Fame guys. That’s awesome! Add in the fact that he has 4407 rebounds and 7838 assist and I’m sure the list gets even more exclusive when you talk about 15k points, 8k assists and 5k rebounds.
Yet you hardly ever, if ever, hear Millers name mentioned with the great. I just wanted to give that a voice today.
I went to a basketball camp up at the University of Utah when I was in high school and was amazed at the attention to detail that Miller played with. I wasn’t the only one who was amazed as legendary coach Rick Majarus couldn’t stop bragging about his star point guard.
Miller isn’t the most physically gifted player in the world. I don’t even know if he can dunk, or touch the backboard, but the guy is one of the most intelligent players in the game. He’s not flashy, he doesn’t do much that will jump out of the TV set when you watch him. However, he belongs with Tim Duncan on the NBA’s “All-Fundamentals” team.
In his 14 seasons with 5 franchises he has averaged 79 games played per year. take into account strike shortened seasons and he is at 80 games per year which is a testament to his durability.
In this world of athletic freak point guards, Andre Miller stands out as a rock no matter where he plays. He probably won’t be in the Hall of Fame with the rest of the players who have comparable stats, but anyone who looks at it with an unbiased eye can’t help but be impressed.
He was also the best player on the ’98 Final Four Utes squad. He dominated that tournament. I think they would have beaten Kentucky if Majerus could have found a way to give him just a 3 minute rest in the second half of that game.
Agreed. He was so freakin good on that team. I love watching him. He is just so smart on the court.