There were two Quincy Millers last season. The Quincy Miller who was a star - who was second in his league in win shares per 48 minutes, fourth in points per game, second in blocks per game, tops in PER.
Then there was the Miller whose minutes on the court were almost sad to watch. By the time he got a chance in the rotation, the season was essentially over. Miller missed 15 of his 20 shot attempts and generally looked like he was trying to look like he belonged - and unsuccessfully.
It's understandable though. Miller only saw action in four games, and one of those was only two minutes worth. It's a very small amount of playing time to attempt to glean too much useful information about such a young player. Especially one in such a tumultuous season.
Including the preseason, Miller suited up in five different uniforms this season.
He spent the summer and preseason with the team that drafted him, the Denver Nuggets. But pressed against the roster limit and with an unguaranteed contract in Miller, they waived him before the start of the season after unsuccessfully trying to work out a trade.
From there, Miller signed on with the Reno Bighorns in the NBA D-League where he immediately thrived with the team's fast pace style. Miller averaged 25 points per game on a scorching 65 percent true shooting, 7 rebounds and 3.6 blocked shots over 15 games.
The Bighorns' parent team, the Sacramento Kings, signed Miller to a pair of 10-day contracts, but Miller was unable to bring that same sort of play to the NBA. He played in just six games and offered very little before his contract expired, leaving the Kings with the choice of letting him walk or signing him for the rest of the season.
They opted for the latter, leaving Miller open for the Pistons to sign with a 10-day contract. He started his Pistons career with the Grand Rapids Drive to give him a chance to familiarize himself with the organization and its style, though not with the same success that he had in Reno. He played just three games with the Drive, putting up 16 points, 11 rebounds, and a block.
Miller didn't make his first appearance on the court in his fifth jersey of the season until the Pistons' final month. Like his time with the Kings, he was ineffective.
In fairness to Miller though, the Pistons never seemed to have a clear handle on how they wanted to use him. When he signed, Van Gundy indicated that he saw Miller as a power forward who could stretch the court - and that seemed to be how he was used in Grand Rapids. But he played nearly exclusively at small forward in his three game stretch in the rotation to close the season.
At just 22 years old and with some tantalizing abilities, there's certainly reason to hope that Miller is able to figure out how to bring some of his D-League productivity to Detroit. Issues with health and productivity are the primary culprit to why he's failed to stick with a team so far, but he seems to have shown at least some signs of being past these.
It's a path that has worked successfully for other D-League alums, most recently this season including Robert Covington and Hassan Whiteside.
When the Pistons signed Miller for the rest of the season off his 10-day contracts, it also included a partial guarantee for next season. This gives Miller the chance to raise Van Gundy's eyebrows in the Pistons summer league and training camp, potentially vying for a chance in the frontcourt rotation. Or to be waived.
It just depends on which Miller shows up.