Miles Kelly 'can't wait' for his debut. Auburn fans should feel the same way.
With crazy range and an all-around skill set, the Georgia Tech transfer might just be the missing piece to Auburn's backcourt.
SG/SF Miles Kelly (David Gray/Auburn Tigers)
AUBURN — Miles Kelly was 5-foot-6 when he was a freshman in high school.
These days, the only remnants of Kelly’s smaller days in basketball are in his jumpers, if you look closely enough. Kelly truly elevates when he takes his shots, getting decent distance off the floor compared to his peers. It’s the form and followthrough of a player who grew up having to take advantage of every possible inch on offense.
But Kelly isn’t 5-foot-6 anymore. He was a late bloomer during his high school days, first at Parkview in the Atlanta area and later at the famed Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia. By the time Georgia Tech picked him up in the Class of 2021, he was already listed at 6-foot-6.
“It's better to be taller than short in the basketball world,” Kelly says with a laugh. “But it's helped tremendously, me being able to get my shot off over people, being able to shoot over people, being able to drive the lanes, being able to finish over guards.”
Now, when he rises and fires, Kelly creates plenty of distance from defenders — either with his impressive wingspan or the sheer distance from where he pulls up.
Last season at Georgia Tech, Kelly hit 14 different 3-pointers of 25-plus feet. It’s the “logo range” that has become synonymous with Bruce Pearl point guards such as Jared Harper and Wendell Green Jr. Now, it’s in the form of a lengthy wing.
“I think he's just allowing me to play my game,” Kelly said before practice Tuesday. “I'm just the type of player that, wherever I'm on the court, if I'm open, I can make it. I think just him instilling that confidence in me, being able to take my shots, having that confidence to take whatever shot I want to take — I think that's huge for me.”
A couple of months ago, Pearl said he wasn’t “going to put the Bryce Brown tag” on Kelly, “but he can really shoot the basketball.” Kelly’s 3-point percentage fell to 32.1% last season as a volume-heavy shooter on a Georgia Tech offense that he had to carry.
Still, Kelly has shot 35% from deep in his collegiate career. He’s hit at least three 3-pointers in more than a third of his games. At Georgia Tech, Kelly had nine different games in which he’s hit at least five 3-pointers, including five games with six and three games with seven. When he gets rolling, it can turn into an avalanche.
“He can really shoot it,” Pearl said earlier this year. “He’s got a chance to be one of the best shooters in our league.”
Kelly’s new Auburn teammates first got to experience that over the summer, as shown in this video from the official team Twitter account:
“The guy can hit shots,” 5-star freshman guard Tahaad Pettiford said Tuesday. “When you're on the court, somebody always has to be aware of him.”
(It’s worth noting that, when Pettiford was asked who stood out to him the most this preseason, he said Kelly’s name with zero hesitation.)