The Charlotte Hornets’ decision to draft Brandon Miller second overall remains a controversial one. So much so that among other rookies, he is not even considered to have the second-highest ceiling in his draft class. This is according to Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey, who put together a list Ranking the Highest Ceilings from the 2023 NBA Draft Class.
Bailey has Miller barely breaking the group of Honorable Mentions, coming in at fifth overall. This is behind Portland’s Scoot Henderson (4), Detroit’s Ausar Thompson (3), Houston’s Amen Thompson (2), and San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama (1). While initially, Bailey mentions Miller’s shooting, it was not enough to propel him over other players selected in the 2023 NBA Draft.
"“Even if he develops into little more than a floor spacer with forward size, he should be able to help a team’s bottom line for years to come. But a few other numbers from college suggest there’s a chance he might be more. In 2022-23, he averaged 3.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks per 100 possessions. Those aren’t huge numbers at the college level, but they’re at least worth noting. And at 20 years old, there’s plenty of time for Miller to explore those areas of his game.”"
Even if Miller were to only be a floor spacer with size, as Bailey suggests, that would not necessarily be a bad thing for the current state of the Hornets. Charlotte’s franchise player is LaMelo Ball, and finding a way to create space for him to work would be a positive. Additionally, the team re-upped with P.J. Washington very recently, another player who should help improve the floor of the franchise.
Miller is still young (20) and could certainly become more than someone who spaces out a defense. But for now, it should be about easing him into the NBA and creating chemistry with Ball to get the most out of him down the line, a time when the Hornets should be a much more competitive team in the Eastern Conference.
3 Areas that the Charlotte Hornets should see improvement in for 2023-24
Which three areas could the Charlotte Hornets see noteworthy improvements in when it comes to the upcoming 2023-2024 NBA season?