C.J. Miles arrived in the NBA in a bygone way: He was drafted straight out of his Dallas high school, joining the likes of Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant and LeBron James in forgoing an NCAA stop.
That Miles is currently playing for the Raptors in his 14th NBA season suggests the decision to skip college turned out more than okay. Still, Miles will tell you the transition didn’t come without its pitfalls. As an 18-year-old rookie with the Utah Jazz, Miles averaged about nine minutes a game and spent time in the NBA’s developmental league.