Pacers coach Rick Carlisle takes interest in NBA Draft prospect Leonard Miller

At the end of the first two prospect workouts of this draft cycle, Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle mostly tried to keep his eye on everyone at once.

Those first two workouts were mostly for players who are likely to be drafted at the end of the first round or the early second. The Pacers have pick Nos. 26, 29 and 32. They also pick at No. 55, and most of the players who were part of the second workout were part of that tier.

But on Wednesday, the Pacers brought in a sure-thing first-rounder in Leonard Miller, an athletic 6-10 big man from G League Ignite. When the workout ended, Carlisle took Miller to one of the baskets at the Ascension St. Vincent Center to work with Miller on his shooting form.

"It was a good moment," Miller said. "I learned a lot. I'm just proud to really be taught and guided like that."

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Outside shooting is one of the most glaring issues for the 19-year-old Miller, who will likely be the second G League Ignite player taken after guard Scoot Henderson, who is considered a likely top-3 pick. Miller averaged 16.9 points and 10.1 rebounds per game for Ignite, a G League team that doesn't have an NBA parent club but is a place for young players who eschew the college route.

Miller wasn't afraid to take 3-pointers. He took 52 in 24 regular-season games and 40 in 14 games in a G League early-season event called the Showcase Cup. He made a combined 28 of those 92 (30.4%) and showed some issues with his shooting form.

"Hand placement, ball placement, positioning," Miller said when asked what he learned from Carlisle in that conversation. "More of a fluid motion. Simplifying my shot. I'm proud that we really had that talk. I'm just a student of the game too, so to learn from a guy like that is a great lesson."

As important as it is for Miller to expand his game, his best chance to make an impact early will be attacking the rim and dominating the glass. He shot 60.2% from 2-point range and also made 79.2% of his free throws, showing how much value he has when he draws contact.

"I know my role as a player," Miller said. "I know areas I am successful on the court. Getting out of character is not really what I want. I just want to show them who I am."

Though it doesn't appear likely that Miller will be a top-10 pick, he is creeping up draft boards and could be a late lottery pick. He would appear to be a little redundant as a skinnier center on a team that already has Jalen Smith and Isaiah Jackson playing behind Myles Turner, but if the Pacers believe in his upside enough, it's not crazy to imagine them packaging the picks they have from Nos. 26-32 to move up.

Along with Miller, the Pacers also brought in former Cathedral star and Indiana and Virginia guard Armaan Franklin. Miami guard Isaiah Wong, Baylor guard Adam Flagler, Florida Atlantic guard Johnell Davis and Notre Dame center Nate Laszewski. Davis, a Gary native, decided later in the afternoon to return for his fourth year at Florida Atlantic. Flagler and Wong both project as potential second-round picks.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: NBA Draft 2023: Pacers coach Rick Carlisle watches Leonard Miller