Miles Rubin Scouting Report

NBA teams are likely willing to invest in Rubin's future. His combination of a feel for the game and excellent physical tools open the pathway for finding a long-term role in the league.

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Introduction

Structure means everything to Rubin. He’s an academics-first type of guy, which should give scouts the impression that he’s committed to staying in college for several years. After a good outing with Meanstreets at the Nike EYBL circuit, Rubin went for the win-win situation committed to Coach Valentine and Loyola Chicago with his twin brother, Wes.

After averaging 2.3 blocks while scoring 6.2 points per game, Rubin earned himself the reputation of one of the best shot-blockers in mid-major basketball. His efforts got rewarded with selections to the A-10 All-Defense and All-Freshman teams. His tenacity as a rebounding energy five is the role that suits him best and, at the same time, the emphasis of this scouting report.

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Physical Profile

At 6-foot-10, Rubin is a fluid athlete with excellent verticality. There is no official wingspan measurement available, but it should be in the range of 7’3 to 7’5”. It’s vital to mention Rubin’s quick second jump, which, combined with his leaping ability and length, makes him one of the top rim protectors among his peers.

Despite not having developed and filled his frame yet, Rubin has great core strength and decent to good hip mobility. That makes him a versatile defender in the long run. He has a slow first step but good acceleration. That opens the floor to be an effective rotating defender in the interior.

It’s vital to mention that NBA teams won’t expect Rubin to switch to the perimeter, as his gravity at the rim is simply too good to potentially give away mismatches in the interior with him guarding the three-point line.

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Defense

Post-ups

The essential part of Rubin’s evaluation is his physical development. It’s in his best interest to enter the league when he’s ready to play in a physical role as a rebounder, play-finisher, and rim-runner. With fewer shots created via post-ups in today’s NBA, the emphasis here is on putting Rubin’s upper-body strength and footwork to the test.

What immediately stood out is that Rubin looks passive in establishing dominance over his assignment. In the first play below, Rubin doesn’t put enough physicality in the mismatch against the smaller guard. Instead, he allows the scorer to find the correct angle to finish the layup. If Rubin puts his chest in a tad more to put his opponent out of balance, he would have much more control over the situation.

In the second play, Rubin gets pushed out of the painted area by his assignment in the post, who collapses the defense and tries to find the shooter in the corner but fails to control the ball. The third possession below shows more promise for his upper-body strength in the next few years. Rubin set his feet properly to absorb the scorer’s elbow in his chest. Hereafter, Rubin shows decent hips and footwork to keep the angle closed. However, it would have been a better decision to bank on his leaping ability and verticality rather than staying on the ground to take away biting on a potential pump-fake.

Despite some areas of development, Rubin shows decent to good decision-making. But he’s often passive, as Rubin doesn’t want to put himself or his team in foul trouble. At 2.6 personal fouls in about 18 minutes per game, we saw Rubin having four or more fouls in 11 of his 37 college basketball games. Decreasing the amount of fouls while playing with more intensity is the focus of his sophomore campaign at Loyola Chicago.

Pick-and-roll

An essential part of Rubin’s evaluation is understanding that most NBA teams aren’t worried about non-floor spacers switching to the perimeter. But more about the outcome of the mismatches they give away inside the arc. In a transition to positionless basketball, we see a result of NBA front offices valuing size and versatility at the guard and wing positions. Therefore, in Rubin’s case, his ability to effectively play drop coverage is what he will continue to do on an NBA floor.

What immediately stood out was the combination of length, footwork, and forcing opponents to beat him off the dribble. Rubin does well to stay under the screen in the first possession below, closing the driving lane to the basket. Hereafter, his long wingspan and good leaping ability help him to cleanly contest the three-point jumper. With the opponent playing five out, Rubin could afford to leave the space behind him empty rather than continuing to drop. That’s part of how mature his game is, as he seamlessly reads basic pick-and-roll schemes consistently.

The lack of upper-body strength puts Rubin in trouble in the second play below. He’s been outworked in the post whereafter he’s in a bad position after the ball handler got the driving lane through the weak side. This led to Rubin not correcting his stance but following the scorer’s lead, who finished the easy two after the straight-line drive. That is a vital play for NBA decision-makers to monitor in the upcoming years. The lack of strength could put Rubin in problems like in this example.

In the high pick-and-roll, Rubin does well to drop to the level of the three-point line. This forces the shooter to either attack the rim or settle for the pull-up jumper, with Rubin being flexible in contesting the shot. In the third possession below, we see Rubin guarding well in space despite the made basket. Regardless, Rubin stands out when he has to step out and guard. In the last play below, the shooter rejects the drag screen, where Rubin recognizes when his feet are set, whereafter he dives out to contest the three-point shot.

Catch-and-drive

When closing out to the perimeter, Coach Valentine puts Rubin in a situation to play an NBA-styled game. What Loyola Chicago does well is focus on letting teammates rotate and adjust when opponents switch Rubin out of the paint. In the first play below his teammate immediately rotates with the cutter and establishes a paint presence. Rubin doesn’t get out to the three-point line, but regardless, he shows a good last step that puts him in balance to slide his feet effectively. Against smaller scorers, Rubin uses his length well as the shot-deterring factor, putting himself in position to effectively serve as a rim protector.

Another area where Rubin shows out is his positioning. When he’s in one-on-one situations. He’s closing out well in the second play below. After the scorer’s hesitation move, we see Rubin focus on getting himself on enough distance while Rubin puts himself back at 180 degrees of his opponent. That allows him to slide his feet and move with the scorer to the basket or to immediately contest shots off the dribble.

However, against creative scorers, Rubin’s hip mobility still needs improvement. In the third possession, we see him struggle after the spin move, where it took a tad too long to establish a dominant stance and use his length, as the scorer still got the angle to get his push off. Another area of development is that Rubin often fears to give up open three-point shots. That’s not bad, but the thought of it makes him rush his closeouts. In the fourth play below, we see him overextending his pivot foot in his last step, leading to him getting burned and the Loyola Chicago defense collapsing.

Catch-and-shoot

Against three-point shooters, the NBA’s focus on four, or even five-out offenses is what makes Rubin’s ability to get to the perimeter essential. He doesn’t have to be on the perimeter all the time, as a rim presence will always remain a must to make these schemes succeed. With more ball movement and motion compared to college basketball, the ability to read offenses is what could make Rubin succeed at the next level.

He’s a rim protector en paint defender before everything. In the first play below, we see the opponent spreading out the floor and keeping the ball moving. Hereafter, Rubin shows a slow first step but good acceleration. Despite the made three, the level of effort and consistency of his motor is what keeps it as positive for Rubin. That continues in his decision-making. In the second play, the hesitation move kept Rubin focused on letting the ball handler decide first, rather than taking the bait. His length and good elevation keep shooters bothered, giving Rubin more confidence to not react to every jab step or pump fake.

However, in the long run, Rubin needs to execute some of his defensive reads quickly. In the baseline out-of-bounds play in the third possession below, Rubin did well to recognize the rotations around him but figured out too late that he had to cover the corner shooter. In the fourth play below, overhelping after dribble penetration led to him having to cover too much space to the elbow; on a better NBA-spaced floor that means more potential problems.

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Offense

Passing

For Rubin, the connective passing and quick decision-making as a ball-mover keep him on the floor offensively. He’s not a three-point shooter, as he put up only four attempts in his freshman season. But he does not need to shoot to be on an NBA floor. That sounds weird in such a shooting-heavy league, but his interior presence is what NBA teams eventually buy. The biggest plus is that teams can rely on not giving away any mismatches in the interior, boosting their defensive rating.

With 24 assists to 38 turnovers as a freshman, the numbers don’t give a good first impression. But that’s not relevant for now, as we’re evaluating the recognition of angles and quick decision-making. When he’s receiving entry passes, Rubin has a good habit of keeping the ball above his head, keeping his passing gravity alive, while length allows him to keep the ball away from reach. That’s a plus, as the risk for turnovers is minimal. He’s decent in executing his passing reads. The area Rubin needs to work on is to be less predictable. The first possession below had a pass to the cutter coming from miles away, and that’s how the defense almost intercepted that pass.

In the second play, Rubin needed a second too long to recognize the play-finisher underneath the basket. His stance was good. The footwork and catching the entry pass with his off-arm fit the needed fundamentals. But he should have immediately hit the cutter instead of when he was underneath the basket. For the NBA, adjusting to the faster-paced game is best possible when being able to focus on touch passes or immediate execution.

To Rubin’s defense, he’s a good angle-creator for others. In the third possession below, he’s spinning his body to serve as a screener after the entry pass, whereafter the body movement is the focus on the defense, as he’s again using passing gravity to create advantages. The result of the straight-line drive to the basket was the reward of his good understanding of body movement and how he can demand all attention to the ball, allowing cutters to move more freely.

There is one area of attention. Rubin is not a three-point shooter, so the side pass in the fourth play below had to lead to him diving toward the rim to establish a potential good box-out for the rebound or to be an option for the entry pass. Instead, he roamed around the three-point line, putting more pressure on the teammate to shoot the three or move elsewhere.

Putbacks

Building on that, establishing a rim presence is what Rubin’s best options are to succeed on an NBA floor. The value-adder for a team’s offensive rating despite his non-three-point shooting status is to impact with his rebounding. Among pros, a good feel for the game is a must-have to succeed as a rebounder. Considering it being Rubin’s difference-maker that’s the essential part of his evaluation.

Rubin is a slick offensive rebounder who’s good at putting opponents out of balance. He made himself the forgotten man in the defensive box-out in the first play below, or him recognizing the opposing big man being too close to the basket in the second possession, whereafter Rubin took a step back to secure the offensive rebounds. The base for good decision-making as a rebounder is there. As a freshman, Rubin ranked 5th in offensive rebounding rate in the A-10, which is something to continue to build on as a sophomore.

On top of that, Rubin always looks to count on misses around him, and that’s his attitude when crashing the offensive glass. In the third play below, he decelerates the closer his teammate gets to the rim, whereafter he’s yet again in the best position for the putback. Having a great feel for the game is the differentiator compared to many of his peers.

Roll man out of the pick-and-roll

Another area where Rubin will find scoring opportunities is to dive to the rim after screening for ball handlers. He’s an active screener and doesn’t lose motivation after he doesn’t get the ball. That’s the base to succeed in a lesser role, especially in the NBA. Selfishness and sacrificing personal success are what NBA centers have to hang their hat on nowadays. That’s the importance for NBA scouts in how a prospect’s body language is, both on and off the court.

In the first play below, Rubin seals off very well after the screen with the smooth spin move. That gives the impression of his hip flexibility improving in the next few years. Despite missing the alley-oop dunk, the ability to elevate and let his verticality work for him. The second play is how NBA teams operate more often, multiple screeners, where, in this case, the double-stagger opened the middle up for Rubin, who smartly spins after the handoff and finds himself finding a wide-open finish at the rim.

Another feasible scoring weapon is Rubin’s quick second jump. In the third possession, he gets the entry pass late after the handoff. However, despite the lack of balance, Rubin does well to stay composed and waits out the right angle before elevating to finish the easy two at the rim. Another area that’s related to Rubin’s hip flexibility is the last play below. The ghost screen was well executed but lacked some fluidity in the execution. Despite not passing out of the double in the post, Rubin shows excellent footwork to create the right angle on the second try.

Cuts

When playing as a cutter, Rubin is looking to find the best positioning to make it easier for a teammate to land the pass. However, at times, he’s too passive in his off-ball movement, making it tougher for the ball handler to get the bailout pass or execute his read. In the first play below, Rubin got open, but, he could have opted to move to a better position where the ball handler could deliver the bailout pass. Regardless, the aggressiveness to put the ball down and attack the defender’s chest is the correct way to get himself a good look at the rim.

Contrary to the first play, we see smart relocation by Rubin in the second possession. He took two minor steps to the right, whereafter the easy dunk was ready to be cashed in on. An area of development for Rubin is to be more creative with how quickly he passes cross-court. In the third possession, Rubin does well by taking his time with how quickly he got to the offensive end in the transition opportunity. Taking the NBA’s will to play at a higher pace into account gives flexibility for Rubin to impact the game, as most defenses have their minds set on making sure they establish their defensive rotations early in the possession. Therefore, playing for a creative coach in Valentine could unleash some good habits for Rubin to use at the next level.

The most vital part is the physicality and hip flexibility. Looking at the last possession below, Rubin does well by smoothly sealing off his man and putting help defense in his back before the finish.

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NBA Draft Projection

Based on the strengths and areas of development mentioned in this scouting report, I project Miles Rubin to be a long-term prospect for the NBA. It’s in his best interest to focus on the 2026 NBA Draft, and fully develop in college while he’s in a great text context at Loyola Chicago.

Coach Valentine is creative and runs various schemes similar to what’s expected of Rubin on an NBA floor. On top of that, The A-10 conference is getting much better and stronger compared to the last few years. Therefore, the strength of the program he’s playing for is less relevant as for Rubin the context is solely on the role he’s having on a team.

When taking improvement into account, Rubin could end up being one of the first upperclassmen centers to be selected in 2026.

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