Inside Vanderbilt Basketball's "Big Adjustment" of Adding Duke Miles Back Into The Lineup – Sports Illustrated

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OXFORD, MS–-The gold numbers on the clock dropped below 50 minutes as if to indicate a need for a heightened sense of urgency on the floor under it. But that wasn’t all that present as Duke Miles worked under it. 
No sense of panic here. Miles has been through this too many times for that to be the case. This Vanderbilt basketball veteran has been through a number of these rodeos before. He had just wrapped a Mikan drill under the basket and was in the midst of working through a number of finishes off of two feet as the clock indicated the dwindling time available. 
Before Miles’ wrapped his routine, he had taken a number of fadeaways from the right edge of the lane, knocked in a few shots from 3-point range and appeared to be loosened up. As Miles went through his routine with a manager on the home end of Ole Miss’ floor, the reality appeared to set in around the gym that he was the only one on that side of the floor. 
The rest of Vanderbilt’s roster was spread out around the 3-point line on the other end of the floor as they prepared for what would be an eventual 89-86 win in overtime. 
Miles’ pregame routine wasn’t an indicator of a divide between he and his Vanderbilt teammates on or off the floor as much as it was a microcosm of how the last few weeks have had to be for Miles and this Vanderbilt team. It’s been that whole group operating independently of one of their go-to guys while he makes an effort to get right. 
As symbolized by Miles finishing his warmup and running into the tunnel with the rest of Vanderbilt’s players, there’s been a reintegration process for Miles. The Vanderbilt guard fit seamlessly into its offense before undergoing a knee scope on Wed Jan. 28 and missing five SEC games. While Miles missed time, though, Vanderbilt adjusted to playing without him. 
These days, it’s working to get him back into form. 
“It always is a challenge,” Byington said in regard to the idea of adding a star like Miles back into the lineup off of an injury. “You think you just add a good player back in and it works seamlessly. The issue is we’ve got to change some things defensively. Offensively, we’re fine.” 
Outside of Vanderbilt’s Saturday loss to Kentucky at Rupp Arena–in which it allowed Kentucky to shoot 59% from the field–its defensive numbers haven’t been all that poor. It’s still working on matchups and lineups now that Miles has returned, though. 
Perhaps Vanderbilt is fine offensively in terms of the way it’s operating, but it’s still not quite as sharp these days as it was before Miles’ initial departure from the lineup. The quality of opponent is more difficult than it was before Miles’ injury and should be considered, but so should the raw numbers. 
Vanderbilt is 2-2 since Miles’ return, is shooting 44% from the field and 29.4% from 3-point range. Miles is averaging 13.5 points per game since his return, but is shooting just 34.7% from the field. Miles is making 37.5% of his shots from 3-point range since his return. 
Byington says the Vanderbilt guard had some bad segments in Vanderbilt’s Tuesday win over Ole Miss, but that he was “really good” as a whole. Miles went for 16 points–albeit on 17 shots–and was Vanderbilt’s go-to guy on the last possession of regulation–which he says he thought he was fouled in. Perhaps that was an indicator that Miles is rounding back into form individually. 
“Having a surgery ain't nothing easy,” Miles told Vandy on SI. “You just got to find your rhythm, find your groove and I'm just gonna take it one game at a time, man. Just let my teammates and coaches just keep pushing me and keep motivating me.”
Despite his stretch of missed games and the process of working back in, Miles is nationally ranked in seven of KenPom’s efficiency metrics. Miles’ most impressive metrics are his steal percentage, which is No. 6 in the country, and his offensive rating–which is No. 295 in the country. 
Miles’ goals aren’t related to his own development these days, though. In his last college season, the Vanderbilt guard wants to win. As a result, he’s been okay with not being the star of the show every night as he’s worked back into his role as a go-to guy. 
“it's a big adjustment because I've been out,” Miles said of the way Vanderbilt has to play with and without him. “A team gets so used to playing one way and then you have to adjust that way and get used to playing that way, then back adjusting. So it is very hard.”
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Joey Dwyer is the lead writer on Vanderbilt Commodores On SI. He found his first love in college sports at nearby Lipscomb University and decided to make a career of telling its best stories. He got his start doing a Notre Dame basketball podcast from his basement as a 14-year-old during COVID and has since aimed to make that 14-year-old proud. Dwyer has covered Vanderbilt sports for three years and previously worked for 247 Sports and Rivals. He contributes to Seth Davis' Hoops HQ, Basket Under Review and Mainstreet Nashville.
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