Which Charlotte Hornets starter was unfairly named the weakest link?
A recent article highlighting the weakest link in every NBA team’s starting lineup was recently published by Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey. Some names mentioned were fairly obvious while others fell into the category of seeming a bit unfair. The latter applies to the name selected by Bailey for the Charlotte Hornets. So which Hornets starter earned this dubious honor?
Brandon Miller.
To be fair, this came with the words for now immediately following Brandon Miller’s name, suggesting that this is a short-term designation for the Hornets rookie. The hope is that in time this would not apply to the Hornets’ 2023 first-round selection, but it would be incredibly difficult to justify naming one of LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier, Miles Bridges, or Mark Williams over Miller at this time.
A reason noted by Bailey for selecting Miller was the frequency at which rookies struggle when becoming acclimated to the NBA game. There is usually an adjustment period which can result in struggles early on making it difficult for a young player to find his footing quickly. This is an uphill battle that very few players are able to avoid and assuming Miller has a similar experience as many of those before him has seems to be a pretty safe assumption.
It is also mentioned that Miller may not start right away should P.J. Washington return to Charlotte. Head coach Steve Clifford could opt to go with Washington over Miller in the event he remains with the Hornets, a scenario that should actually be avoided if they want to get the most out of their most recent high draft pick.
In an ideal world, rookies should be excluded from ending up on lists such as this one. With so much unknown about how they will play at the NBA level and what, if any serious struggles they will endure, it just seems incredibly unfair for them to end up named on lists such as this one. Considering that there are plenty of teams who have veteran players to be considered their weakest link, choosing a rookie starter seems to be a bit unbalanced.
Perhaps being named as the Hornets’ weakest link in their starting lineup will give Miller some motivation to prove that this is not something he should be identified as in the future.
