To be cut and dry about the situation, Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller is not among the most popular prospects in the 2023 draft class.
Not only because of his circumstantial involvement in the murder of 23-year-old Jamea Harris, or because Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson was widely considered to be the better prospect when the Hornets opted to take Miller at No. 2 instead of him.
Even after the draft, the summer has not been kind to Miller, as he continued to earn the ire of fans for both subjective and objective reasons. GOAT conversations aside, the 20-year-old was anything but sharp offensively in the 2023 Las Vegas Summer League, finishing with 15.2 points per game on 38.1 percent shooting from the field and 31.3 percent from 3.
He made a solid impact on the boards with his size at 6-foot-9 and 201 pounds, averaging 6.8 per game. 2.0 stocks (steals + blocks) per game were also respectable, though he was projected to have the upside of an above-average defender due to his fluidity, intensity and instincts. He even averaged 3.4 assists per game, a nod to one of his more underrated skills coming out of Alabama.
With such a dynamic impact, one would expect at least a bit more positivity in regard to Miller's potential impact. Nonetheless, a perception lingers that Miller was the wrong pick for Charlotte. One that he'll have to prove is wrong, as he likely knows.
What the Hornets like and expect from Brandon Miller
Charlotte Hornets assistant Marlon Garnett — who coached the team's Summer League squad this offseason — spoke to James Plowright of AllHornets.com about his early impressions of Brandon Miller, as well as what he expects from Miller moving forward.
“His upside,” Garnett says. “I think he's just a smart, very, very good IQ basketball player… he was being unfairly criticized for not being forceful and taking [the] reigns…”
“I think he” just a basketball player that is smart out there.,” Garnett reiterates, giving Plowright specific examples of his ability to read defenses and counter their approach. “He's a good decision maker, so he's just reading the play and he's just basically playing, taking what the defense gives him.”
While admitting that the Hornets are “still at the drawing board” with what they would like Miller to improve on specifically, Garnett emphasizes the rookie's versatility when considering his potential impact next season and beyond.
“I think his versatility is going to help us.” Garnett says. “It's not going to pigeonhole him and make us feel like we have to play him at one position. He’s a basketball player, he has great size, has a lot intangibles to his game.”
“The fact that he shoots it really well and his size is going to definitely help,” he adds, though Miller will certainly have to recover his shooting touch after his poor showing from the perimeter in Summer League and the second half of the 2022-23 NCAA season.
“When you add LaMelo [Ball], Gordon [Hayward], Terry [Rozier] and Miles [Bridges] and some of the guys that he'll be on the floor with, it going to help our spacing and just add to another layer for us in a positive way.”
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