Spain’s historic 2026 NBA Draft class —only the second time in history that three Spanish players have been selected, the previous occasion coming in 2009 with Ricky Rubio, Víctor Claver and Sergio Llull hearing their names called— is rounded out, alongside the already familiar profiles of Aday Mara (No. 12, Oklahoma City Thunder) and Sergio de Larrea (No. 25, Los Angeles Lakers, later dealt to the Dallas Mavericks through the New York Knicks), by perhaps the most intriguing player of the group: Baba Miller.
Miller possesses enormous basketball potential, although unlike Mara and De Larrea, he has yet to prove himself consistently at the highest level.
Selected by the Los Angeles Clippers with the 36th overall pick, it is difficult to imagine a more ideal physical profile for basketball. Standing 6-foot-10 with an almost 7-foot-2 wingspan, Miller may very well be Spain’s most fascinating long-term project… if he can eventually unlock his full potential, something he still appears to be some distance away from achieving.
In the days leading up to the draft, respected scouting outlet NBADraft.net described him as “one of the more physically intriguing frontcourt prospects in the draft class, possessing a rare blend of size, fluidity, coordination, and skill that has long tantalized evaluators.”
Born in Mallorca on February 7, 2004, Miller’s skill set and unusual size for a Spanish prospect quickly drew the attention of the country’s top clubs. Real Madrid ultimately brought him into its youth categories, and he even made his EuroLeague debut at just 17 years old in a memorable game against CSKA Moscow during the pandemic.
That night, Real Madrid was dealing with eight positive COVID cases and had to turn to three junior players: Miller, Urban Klavzar and Sediq Garuba. The emergency lineup ended up delivering a 71–65 victory for Los Blancos.
Despite taking his first steps with Real Madrid, Miller embarked on his American journey in the summer of 2022, joining prestigious NCAA program Florida State, where he would spend two seasons.
The start, however, was far from smooth. He was handed a 16-game suspension due to recruiting violations stemming from an impermissible paid trip before signing with the Seminoles. Physical setbacks followed —first cramps, then a groin strain— making his integration into the team difficult and turning his freshman year into a challenging experience.
That summer, though, Miller achieved what remains the biggest accomplishment of his career so far, helping Spain’s U19 national team capture the 2023 FIBA U19 World Cup title in Debrecen, Hungary. He averaged 9.4 points and six rebounds during the tournament, including an 11-point, five-rebound performance in the championship game against France.
In his second NCAA season, Miller established himself as a full-time starter at Florida State, although his development still fell short of the expectations shared by both sides. That led to his first transfer, as he joined Florida Atlantic in the summer of 2024.
Still, his best version in the United States came during the recently completed season after another move. Playing for the Cincinnati Bearcats, Miller posted a strong all-around campaign, averaging 13 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.2 blocks in nearly 32 minutes per game. Those numbers helped push him back into the draft conversation after his upside had already put him on NBA radars a couple of years earlier.
His strong play at Cincinnati earned him Second Team All-Big 12 honors, a spot on the Big 12 All-Newcomer Team and Second Team All-East District recognition from the NABC.
Despite the progress he made over the past year, Papa Ababacar Bartolome Miller —his full name— remains largely an unknown commodity in Spain, where he has barely been seen competing.
Last summer, he even came close to earning a call-up from Sergio Scariolo for EuroBasket. Miller was part of Spain’s “B Team” training camp that worked alongside the senior national team and, after Eli John Ndiaye suffered an injury, joined the main squad practices.
Scariolo seriously considered bringing him onto the roster because of his unique physical tools —a profile Spain simply did not have—. However, Miller’s commitment to the University of Cincinnati included obligations that ultimately made a senior national team debut at a major tournament impossible, a scenario that would have seen him reach the international stage without having played a single professional game.
Now, projecting Miller’s role with the Los Angeles Clippers is no easy task.
His upside remains enormous, and his physical development has increasingly allowed him to become a relevant factor on the glass. However, his inconsistency as a three-point shooter remains a significant concern. This past season he shot just 19% from beyond the arc on 1.7 attempts per game, after posting a much more respectable 34% the previous year at Florida Atlantic while attempting twice as many shots.
Improving that aspect of his game will undoubtedly be essential if he hopes to establish himself at basketball’s highest level.
Still, if the Clippers manage to unlock the right formula and fine-tune his development, they may have a genuine diamond in the rough on their hands.
Time will tell whether he reaches his ceiling, or ultimately becomes one of basketball’s great “what ifs.”
