White Men Can Jump and Miles Plumlee also proves he can play very well!

##WHITEHOWARD##

##WHITEMENCANJUMP##

##PLUMJUICE##

 Coming out of Duke nobody really expected much out of Miles Plumlee. He had a very, very lackluster career in college. However, during the summer after he got drafted by the Pacers with the 26th pick in the first round I was privy to see his NBA combine measurements where he boasted a 40 inch vertical leap. Now a 40 inch vert is very impressive. To show you how impressive a 40 inch vertical leap is neither John Wall(39' inch) nor Dwayne Wade(36.5' inch) posted a 40' inch inch vert during the combine and both of those guys are two of the NBA's best leapers. So for a guy who stands 7 feet tall to have a 40 inch leap is astonishing and very rare. To put it in perspective of how mind-boggling that is let me  show you a pic of one of the most celebrate high-flyers in NBA history:

 This is the Shawn Kemp aka the Reign Man with his head clearly above the rim and his arms extended so far you'd think that he could almost touch the top of the backboard. Like Miles, Kemp too boasted a 40' inch vertical but look at this picture and imagine Kemp 3 more inches in the air because Kemp was only 6'10 and Miles is 7 feet! so that right there alone shows the potential athletically that he possesses and this year thus far he has no disappointed. Beyond his leaping ability he has obviously worked very hard during the summer and has added a legitimate post game to his arsenal and displays a reliable mid range shot as well. In college he was a good rebounder and that has translated to the NBA but he has also shown that he has the tools to be one of the best shot blockers in the NBA as well. Looking at his stats this year I'd definitely give him my vote as the NBA's  MIP (Most Improved Player) a quarter into the season:

1. Per Game  

   Season	Age	Tm	Lg	Pos	G	GS	MP	FG	FGA	FG%	3P	3PA	3P%	2P	2PA	2P%	FT	FTA	FT%	ORB	DRB	TRB	AST	STL	BLK	TOV	PF	PTS
   2012-13	24	IND	NBA	C	14	0	3.9	0.4	1.5	.238	0.0	0.0		0.4	1.5	.238	0.2	0.3	.750	0.9	0.7	1.6	0.1	0.0	0.2	0.2	0.4	0.9
   2013-14	25	PHO	NBA	C	29	29	28.0	4.6	8.7	.522	0.0	0.0		4.6	8.7	.522	1.0	2.3	.455	2.9	6.3	9.2	0.6	0.6	1.8	1.5	2.6	10.1

   
   
   Per 36 Minutes
   

   Season	Age	Tm	Lg	Pos	G	GS	MP	FG	FGA	FG%	3P	3PA	3P%	2P	2PA	2P%	FT	FTA	FT%	ORB	DRB	TRB	AST	STL	BLK	TOV	PF	PTS
   2012-13	24	IND	NBA	C	14	0	55	3.3	13.7	.238	0.0	0.0		3.3	13.7	.238	2.0	2.6	.750	7.9	6.5	14.4	1.3	0.0	2.0	2.0	3.3	8.5
   2013-14	25	PHO	NBA	C	29	29	813	5.8	11.2	.522	0.0	0.0		5.8	11.2	.522	1.3	2.9	.455	3.7	8.1	11.8	0.7	0.8	2.3	1.9	3.4	13.0

So with a 18-11 record  Mile Plumlee has paid off dividends for the Suns this year and has shown to be one of the most promising up and coming center in the NBA. And a 40' inch vert definitely helps because no other center in the NBA touch his "cloud!"