The Charlotte Hornets got their first look at No. 2 overall pick Brandon Miller Monday evening in Summer League action at the California Classic. The Hornets have placed a lot of faith in Miller by taking him ahead of Scoot Henderson, the player who many felt was the second-best prospect in the 2023 NBA Draft. Miller’s offensive talent is undeniable, but does he have the ceiling of Henderson?
The first half was a disaster for Miller on all fronts. He committed a whopping six personal fouls, which would lead to a disqualification in a regular season game. However, players get 10 fouls at Summer League so Miller could keep going. He only scored five points, and couldn’t really get into a rhythm from the floor. The Spurs were also hitting everything, which likely caused a bit more demoralization.
However, Miller did respond nicely in the second half. He finished with 18 points on 5-11 shooting overall and 3-7 from behind the arc. He also only committed one foul in the second half, which is a big improvement. The overall stat line is solid but the Hornets would like Miller to show more consistency throughout Summer League and the regular season.
Grade: B-
Miller is going to have some big games offensively once he maintains confidence and keeps shooting. The first challenge for the Hornets will be getting him to stop fouling on defense. It seems like Miller has a bigger climb there than many expected, which obviously changes his projections a bit for his rookie season. This is also the first Summer League game, so this isn’t going to be a verdict on Miller’s career. It’s possible he just came out too excited and determined to make a statement, which worked against him. We’ll see if he has a more consistent showing in his next Summer League game.