The Charlotte Hornets have two picks at the top of the second round. It’s a perfect spot to take a flier on a good prospect that slipped out of the first round without having to guarantee them a full rookie contract. It’s also a good spot to find players with significant flaws in their game but defined NBA skills. We looked at one such prospect in [3-point shooting specialist Chaz Lanier](https://atthehive.com/2025/05/20/hornets-prospect-scouting-report-chaz-lanier/). On the other end of the defense-offense spectrum is a player like Miles Byrd out of San Diego State.
**Height:** 6’4.75″
**Wingspan:** 6’10”
**Standing reach:** 8’6.5″
**Weight:** 181.8 pounds
**Vertical:** 31.5″ no step, 35.5″ max
**Defensive play making, passing, 3&D/role player potential**
Miles Byrd put up defensive box score stats that have rarely been paralleled in recent memory, especially for an underclassman. As a sophomore at San Diego State, he averaged 1.3 blocks and 2.6 steals per 36 minutes and had an elite defensive box plus-minus of +5.7. He has a nose for the ball like an NFL linebacker or free safety. He’s quick to rotate from the weak side to challenge shots at the rim, jumps passing lanes, and makes freelance plays to get his hands on the ball when opponents aren’t expecting it.
His offense is a mixed bag, but there are markers of a future positive contributor on this end of the floor as well. He had a very good assist to turnover ratio and showed flashes of creative passing as a secondary ball handler for San Diego State. He doesn’t have the handle to be a primary creator at the next level, but that feel should make him a good connective piece.
The outside shooting numbers aren’t there yet, but again, there are indicators. He shot a high volume of threes and he shot a very strong 83.2% from the free throw line. His release is a little funky and can be very rigid at times, but there’s a decent foundation that I think can be built upon to make a solid spot up shooter. He has confidence in the shot, and sometimes confidence is half the battle.
He reaffirmed the most enticing elements of his game at the NBA Draft Combine scrimmages. He notched five steals and four blocks in 52 minutes across the two games and connected on five of his 11 3-point attempts. He dished out four assists in both games against just two total turnovers. It’s a small sample, but he showed what his best version could look like.
**Outside shooting, ball handling**
While Byrd has the profile of a player that can turn into a good shooter, he hasn’t proven it yet. He shot just 30.1% from three last season, and it got worse as the season went on. From the start of 2025 through the end of the season, Byrd made just 26.2% of his 3-point attempts. Like I mentioned above, the release is a little bit funky and isn’t always consistent. There are times where he releases the ball with his legs splayed out quite a bit with a very rigid upper body. Other times he shoots with a more natural sway. There’s a good structure there, but he’ll need to fine tune his mechanics to maximize the shooting potential. He also gets a little too confident in the shot given how poorly he’s shot it, which he’s not going to be able to get away with at the NBA level.
He’s going to have to shoot the ball decently to be a factor on offense barring some massive improvement to the other areas of his game. He doesn’t have a tight enough handle to put pressure on the rim, and his off-the-dribble jump shooting numbers are pretty poor. While he’s a creative passer, his limitations as a ball handler are going to put a cap on how often he’ll be able to utilize that against NBA defenders, especially if he’s also struggling as a shooter.
Miles Byrd has a wider range of outcomes than most prospects. His defensive instincts and motor give him a good foundation, and if the shooting comes around, he has the confidence to become a high volume threat from three with a little bit of secondary/tertiary playmaking chops to complement that defense. At the most optimistic, you can see visions of a smaller Mikal Bridges. But if the shot doesn’t come around, Byrd becomes one of those journeyman defensive specialists that hangs around as the ninth or tenth man on the roster.
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