Three most important players for the Hornets in 2023-24

3. Brandon Miller

There has been a ton of pressure, fair or unfair, that has been placed upon second-overall draft selection Brandon Miller. The Hornets defied the expectations of just about everyone as they bypassed the prohibitive favorite to be picked after Victor Wembanyama, Scoot Henderson. Now that the dust has settled and the shock selection of Miller has had plenty of time to set in.

One thing to note about Miller’s selection by the Hornets when compared to the Spurs taking Wembanyama and the Trail Blazers picking Henderson is that the future of the franchise is not being exclusively placed upon Miller’s shoulders, while the other two are the recipients of much more pressure to be the guy for their respective franchises.

Miller has the advantage of coming to a team that already has a franchise cornerstone already on the roster in LaMelo Ball. Charlotte needs Miller to find a way to be at least, a supporting/complementary player to Ball and potentially work toward being another star-caliber player in Charlotte.

While it does not sound like Miller is considered an important player by this description, that is not accurate. Charlotte needs Miller to make progress and become a rotation regular for the Hornets. With that in mind, if it takes a little bit longer than desired there is no reason to sound the alarms, as his selection has always been more of a long-term play. However if his struggles are significant and it does not appear he can be a meaningful player for this organization, the feeling of regret about his selection will sink in very quickly.