Miles Byrd Scouting Report
Miles Byrd Scouting Report
San Diego State has a proven track record of producing great guards. Byrd is next in line. Here are 3K+ words on why he has a role in the NBA and what his long-term trajectory looks like.
Introduction
The Stockton, CA-born Byrd was a four-star recruit and a top-10 prospect in his home state. While winning 58 games in the Tri-City Athletic League during his high-school career, he finished off in style with a 26-4 record as a senior. His combination of size and defense on top of his natural scoring ability, caught the attention of many highly-ranked programs, including Villanova and Washington.
He eventually committed to Coach Dutcher and the San Diego State Aztecs, where he redshirted his freshman year due to injuries. As a sophomore, he earned a spot in the rotation despite three senior guards on the roster. While coming off the bench in all 34 games, he had two double-digit scoring outings, giving Coach Dutcher the sign he was ready for the challenge in his sophomore year, leading to the Aztecs not actively recruiting via the portal and continuing to develop their players.
For the next level, Byrd has his defensive versatility, decision-making, and good physical tools as the main selling points. Carving out a niche role is what the emphasis of this scouting report will be.
Physical Profile
At 6-foot-7, Byrd has great size for both guard positions. He has broad shoulders but still has to fill his frame in the next few years. While weighing 190 pounds he impacts the game with his length and athleticism rather than relying on his man strength, which is still developing. Byrd has been taught the game in the right way. Despite the clear athleticism advantage, Byrd plays a fundamentals-based game mixed with the Californian-styled offensive creativity and scoring.
For the next level, that means that he’s making good decisions when rotating as a defender, boxes out consistently, and doesn’t back down from physical contact and toughness by opponents. His leaping ability is solid and will hold more value once Byrd develops his upper-body strength. He has a good first step with decent acceleration, while his footwork is improving. On top of his size and broad shoulders, he fits the physical profile of what NBA decision-makers look for in their guard rotation in the league’s slow transition to positionless basketball.
Offense
Catch-and-shoot
In an NBA game, where the importance of young players keeping the team’s offensive rating at par is the most vital early on, it’s a given that Byrd has to continue to hit shots. With a sample size of 81 attempts in his first two seasons. Despite him shooting 31.1% last year, the numbers don’t hold much value yet. The importance for an underclassman is the shot process, footwork, and how projectable the likeliness is that Byrd can turn into a volume shooter.
There are some areas of development in his process. In the first play below, Byrd does well to actively relocate and demand the ball when he’s open. He’s correcting the ball after the catch while already entering his shooting motion by bending his knees. The positive is that Byrd is showing the L-shape when bringing the ball to the level of his chest. However, his arms move up faster than the flow of his body when looking at this shooting motion. On top of that, he looks to lie back after the release. NBA decision-makers will look to correct his shooting motion. But the main positive is that he’s quick to set his feet and bend his knees, that’s the most essential base for volume shooters to have.
In the second possession, Byrd gets the bail-out pass to the elbow with a few seconds left on the clock. Instead of trusting the process, he’s pushing the ball after his shot, while he’s not in balance due to his feet aren’t properly set as it looks like Byrd wasn’t prepared to take that shot. Therefore, especially when not having the ball in his hands, Byrd has to relocate and communicate as if he’s going to be the recipient of the play that’s being run, with the decision to either dribble, pass, or shoot mostly thought of in his mind.
For the NBA, the game's pace with more ball movement makes it likely that Byrd will be ready to be a volume shooter. He’s turning his hips very well in the third play below while Byrd was adjusting his balance and stance well before taking the jumper in the last possession below.
Passing
In a modern NBA offense, Byrd will be asked to serve as a playmaker. Although he won’t be a primary ball handler, it’s vital for him to quickly execute his playmaking reads while running certain sets. In most four, or even five-out offenses, it's vital to put pressure on the rim while staying composed and finding potential open teammates. In the first play, Byrd came from the weak side to collect the handoff whereafter he did well to use the screen to get two feet inside the arc. After decelerating and a good last step, Byrd uses his leaping ability and side to find the cutting five for the easy two at the rim.
Byrd has good habits after receiving passes. The second possession below is a good example. He uses his height advantage to keep the ball above his head. That helps him to stay flexible to either attack the close-out, keep the ball moving, or execute a playmaking read where he finds the cutter, which was the outcome of that play. Keeping the gravity of his rim pressure is an effective way to generate advantages, even when he’s not attacking his opponent directly. The value of his gravity is shown in the third play below. Byrd does well to use his hesitation move to shake his defender out of balance before attacking the strong side and immediately hitting the play-finisher upon getting two feet inside the paint.
He’s also crafty and can read defenders well. In the fourth play, he catches the entry pass but uses his length to keep the ball away from the rotating defender, where the most crucial part for NBA decision-makers is that he’s immediately seeing the cutter move to the elbow, whereafter he launches the pass for the three-point make. The area of development for Byrd is relocating properly after the pass. In the last possession below, he hits the big man with the entry pass, and he should have supported the teammate by relocating toward the elbow, putting less pressure on the big man who can either choose to finish the play through contact, hit the backdoor cutter, or go for the safe option and kick it out to Byrd who had the weak side all for himself. In a faster-paced NBA game, those types of off-ball movements are what coaches try to instill in their players, so they always purposely move without the ball.
Hand-offs
Byrd’s plus size helps him to serve as an extra offensive option in sequences where bigs are the playmaking hub to help him thrive in a complementary role, with the extra scoring possibilities coming via his self-creation off of handoffs. In the first play, the offense dries up, and Byrd eventually gets the handoff to make something happen from the elbow. He does well to elevate for his burst with his left pivot foot set. Eventually, he banks on the foul call coming his way after drawing the foul.
That says a lot about his aggressiveness and basketball IQ, as he knows and actively looks to get himself to the charity stripe. In his first two years, he had 28 free-throw attempts compared to 134 field-goal attempts. That rate of 0.2 free throws per 1 field goal attempt has to improve during his sophomore year.
When it comes to his decision-making, Byrd has to challenge himself to be more creative. In the second play below, it was clear that his defender would go over the screen, while the big man played drop coverage, if Byrd had changed sides, that would fully collapse the defense, as his assignment was taken out by the screen, and help on the corner side had to take over Byrd as his assignment. This would have put his two opponents on the weak side in a favorable position for a backdoor cut or open three on the corner or elbow. Instead, the sloppy turnover after driving into traffic didn’t do Byrd any favors.
However, as a part of Byrd’s transition to be more of a volume shooter, the aggressiveness to bank on the space after the handoffs by shooting the open three is something he shouldn’t fall in love with too much, as it’s Byrd’s role as a connecting guard to decide that he can pass up a good look for a potential great look a teammate could get.
Catch-and-drive
An NBA franchise eventually has the goal to take the most out of untapped potential. For Byrd, that’s his offensive creativity. He has the opportunity to showcase that by making plays out of closeouts. The aggressive nature of his scoring package is what he’s doing more freely so far this season at San Diego State. In the first play below, Byrd does well to pivot his right foot before the catch so he can elevate his burst and drive baseline. The floater finish has a high arcing point. That’s something for him to hang his hat on this season. Despite the miss, it was a quality look, with that floater being a valuable intangible every scorer in today’s NBA has to possess to offer extras for a team’s offensive rating.
On top of that, his ability to handle contact, especially when he gets stronger in the next few years, makes him a legitimate option to draw fouls. In the second play below, Byrd gets the entry pass whereafter he uses deception well as he catches the ball while lying left to explode to the rim with his right, eventually almost finishing the play, which could have been rewarded with a personal foul. In the third play, Byrd does well to push his defender off without fouling whereafter he uses his leaping ability and length for the baby hook finish.
The area of development is that Byrd often drives into traffic. His will to make winning plays and get buckets can get the best of him, as in the last play below, he’s forcing his drive to the paint, simply allowing the tight defense to poak the ball away. Those are the wins he needs to have, showing he can make the extra pass and play more within the flow of the offense. Granted, that’s the maturing most underclassmen have to go through, but for Byrd, it’s a vital process to maintain that in the NBA his turnovers won’t put pressure on a team’s offensive rating.
Defense
Pick-and-roll
Being able to defend in the pick-and-roll is essential for Byrd to find himself a role in the rotation. Despite the need to get stronger, Byrd shows toughness and grit when fighting through screens. On top of that, he’s a scrappy on-ball defender, which helps him to serve as a point-of-attack defender in the future. But to make it happen, showing consistency to play in various pick-and-roll coverages is the base to help a team maintain and sustain its defensive rating.
In the first play below, Byrd’s positioning close to the ball handler was vital to maintain flexibility against the drag screen. He forced his opponent to reject the screen and attack the strong side as Byrd kept putting pressure on the ball instead of allowing his opponent to change sides. Those are small details showing his good feel for the game, and that he’s been taught the game well, which is the benefit of having a father who played professionally for many years.
The area of development for Byrd is that his footwork needs to improve in certain situations. In the second possession below, the ball handler notices the incoming big man, while Byrd didn’t pivot his right foot well, causing him to not be fully in balance before having to keep up with the scorer who created a wide-open driving lane through the middle. Byrd contests the shot from behind, but staying in front of his opponents is feasible if he’s establishing his feet in a way where he can respond quickly, as the quickness and speed help him to do that consistently.
When it comes to Byrd’s screen navigation, he immediately reminds me of Corey Kispert with how he’s throwing himself between the screener and the ball handler. The third play is a good example. As of now, he’s not strong enough to fully thrive on contact against bigs in pick-and-roll situations, but his technique is promising for the future, as Byrd will continue to reach his man strength and fill his frame in the next few years.
When Byrd defends in the second line, his ability to keep his assignment near him while following the play stands out. That’s a part of the defensive principles Coach Dutcher instilled in his group. The toughness and gritty play come to display with the big hustle play in the fourth possession below, where Byrd hits the deck after the deflection.
Catch-and-drive
When defending against closeouts, Byrd shows promising development in using his footwork to maintain his balance. Often, he’s not fully committing to staying at 180 degrees of his opponents, which leads to him giving away a certain direction the closeout attacker can utilize. In the first play, it’s the baseline drive after Byrd leaves the weak side open in his closeout to the perimeter. However, he shows fluid hips and lateral quickness to stay in front of his assignment, bumping in for the contact, whereafter he boxes out well for the team rebound.
He worked on his defensive intangibles during the summer. In the second play, from last year’s NCAA Tournament, Byrd struggled more to maintain good positioning, leading to him not being able to pressure the ball handler after the opposing team got the offensive rebound. The difference roughly eight months later is that Byrd is now much more comfortable in handling closeouts. Even if he’s losing control of his assignment, as shown in the third play below, he focuses on disrupting the scorer by putting him out of balance without fouling. The physicality and toughness stand out. On top of that, Byrd only averaged 1.3 personal fouls last year, showing he can play within control.
His closeouts are a vital part of winning more draft stock and value. Combining the physical tools, development during the summer, and the quality of his closeouts early on in the season, Byrd can differentiate himself from most of his peers in defensive values he can add to an NBA franchise.
Cuts
Byrd’s leaping ability and toughness are the base for his defense against cutters. Due to his size, he’s being used as a weakside helper or interior defender who can switch to forwards when needed. In the NBA, the cutters he has to defend will mostly be play-finishers at the rim, especially when teams throw in smaller lineups. For San Diego State the presence of two starting-caliber fives takes away pressure from Byrd to not be matched up too often with stronger centers.
However, the flashes he has shown so far are that Byrd does well to not overhelp too often on defense. He’s not passive but more composed when deciding when it’s time for him to rotate to another assignment. In the first play below, the defense collapses after dribble penetration, whereafter Byrd does well to not immediately switch to the center to avoid fouling, but be more of a shot deterrent and disruptor rather than protecting the rim in a heavy mismatch.
However, he should be careful not to fake in the post, especially with more space around him. In the second play below, Byrd gets caught in the air by the fake whereafter the simple dropoff leads to the two points being given away. As mentioned earlier, the feel for the game and habits put Byrd ahead of most of his peers. In the third play below, he does well to rotate to the center and tags him to maintain control while focusing on what the ball handler driving baseline will do. Hereafter, he shows the toughness and grit to disrupt the scorer despite the clear size and weight disadvantage.
Catch-and-shoot
This is a vital part of Byrd’s evaluation. The NBA’s development toward more and more motion-based offenses where the ball keeps moving until the highest shot quality is found. That makes it essential that prospects can process the game quickly. In Byrd’s case, this will rely on his feel for the game, rather than the physical tools such as speed and quickness. The positive part for him is that San Diego State has a defensive culture where consistency in defending against specific schemes stands out.
In the first play, Byrd stays composed after the kickout pass, where he’s the one in the box-and-one. The last step he shows in the play is fantastic, helping him to launch and stay attached despite three extra passes. Byrd eventually cleanly contests the elbow three, not giving away the three points. He’s not successful in the second play. But the positive part here is that Byrd sees the screener near the elbow targeting him, and he responds by putting one foot ahead each time to gather a better cushion for when he throws himself between the screener and ball handler. The shooter eventually got a clean look, but the navigation on Byrd’s part was promising and has shown feasibility when adjusting that to an NBA setting.
The third and fourth plays below show how committed Byrd is to close out and contest shots. Often, in today’s day and age, we see fake shot contests where players put their hands up to make it look as if they are defending. With Byrd the opposite is true. He’s using his twitchiness and leaping ability to push himself in a hard way and not give up despite how open his assignment might get. In the third play, the tag on the shooter was a showing of frustration and a sign of his will to win, whereas, in the fourth possession below, fluidity of his hips led to him making a 180-degree spin quickly with just one spin, whereafter he stretched his arms well for the hard shot contest.
NBA Draft Projection
Based on the strengths and areas of development mentioned in this scouting report, I project Miles Byrd to be a top-40 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
San Diego State and Coach Butcher are willing to invest in his future for the full four years. Therefore, it makes no sense for Byrd to rush his path to the NBA as the developmental minutes will be available. With NIL being a big part of college basketball, it takes away pressure from prospects to rush their way to their professional career.
Considering Byrd still needs to get stronger while improving his decision-making through more reps in real playing minutes, it’s wise to test the waters in the 2025 draft cycle to fully focus on 2026. The main reason for this is that Byrd doesn’t have a clear role to play as of today, but the amount of promise his physical tools and intangibles hold, as also described in the scouting report, leads to him being able to potentially climb up to the first round to secure multiple years of development and guaranteed money.
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