Pelicans Re-Sign Darius Miller, What Will His Role Be?

New Orleans Pelicans small forward Darius Miller has played sparingly in his two seasons with the club, but the young swingman will get a chance to compete for more playing time this year as the Pelicans have re-signed Miller, according to a report from John Reid of The Times Picayune.

The 24-year old former Kentucky Wildcat saw the floor in 45 games last season, averaging 4.4 points and 1.2 rebounds a contest. At 6'8, 225 pounds, the Pelicans are hoping Miller can compete with newly signed veteran John Salmons for minutes at small forward.

Will he earn a spot in the rotation? Considering the Pelicans are thin at small forward, it's not out of the question. Miller has the benefit of having spent the only two seasons of his NBA career in this system, learning the intricacies of Monty Williams defensive philosophy.

At times, Miller showed an ability to lock up an opposing small forward. His offense was sporadic, but he does have a long-range game to his offense, something former Pelicans SF Al-Farouq Aminu never displayed in 3 seasons with New Orleans.

With Anthony Davis and Omer Asik in the frontcourt, Williams' will likely play a lot of 3 guard lineups. If healthy, expect the Pelicans look for somewhere between 20 and 25 minutes a night from a traditional small forward. How many of those minutes can Miller earn will likely depend on his defense and ability to hit the 3.

After not receiving the $1,115,243 offer that would've made him a restricted free agent, it appears year 3 could be make or break for Miller in terms of extending his NBA career. Miller didn't draw interest for other NBA teams, thus, re-signing with New Orleans.

Details of the contract have not been released yet. It would be surprising if it'sfor anything other than the minimum ($915,243).