Brandon Miller has the potential to be the Charlotte Hornets' most versatile scorer. He can be lethal from just about anyone on the floor, although he probably wishes he had the go-signal to weaponize his midrange shot. That might not be the case, based on how his media day interview went.
At the podium on Monday, Miller was asked about the difference between the frequency of his midrange looks during his rookie season and the 2024-25 campaign. Richie Randall of the Buzz Beat podcast noted that the swingman hesitated at first before answering how important it is for him to look for high-quality shots wherever he may hoist it from the floor.
It's unclear why Miller paused (for only a bit, though) before sharing his response about the matter. Perhaps he was just trying to compose his thoughts, although it wouldn't be surprising if he indeed misses having some form of green light from midrange.
During his rookie year, the University of Arkansas product averaged 2.5 field-goal attempts per game, which constituted 17.4 percent of all his attempts of any type. He sank 47.9 percent of those tries. However, last season saw his attempts from that range decrease to 1.6 shots per contest. That amounted to just 8.8 percent of all his shots. The bad news is that his field-goal efficiency on that shot type was 30.2 percent.
It's tough to pinpoint why Miller's midrange prowess was nowhere to be seen in his second year with Charlotte. Maybe it was simply a case of sophomore slump. However, the likely reason is Hornets coach Charles Lee appears to have an affinity for analytics, which have dictated in the past years that the most efficient field-goal attempts are those that come from the restricted area or beyond the arc.
Time for Charles Lee to let Brandon Miller loose
While the 3-pointer still undoubtedly remains a potent offensive tool for almost all NBA teams, it shouldn't be the be-all and end-all for Charlotte.
The team saw firsthand how it could be unfavorable to be overreliant on that shot, following a season in which they finished 11th in attempts from long distance but ranked in the bottom three in efficiency from that range. Besides, it's worth noting that the reigning Finals MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, has not shied away from letting it fly from midrange.
It was also concerning that while Miller's shotmaking from 3-point land was borderline elite, he finished his shortened 2024-25 campaign converting just 35.5 percent of his shots from behind the line. Lee might have to allow the Hornets' rising star to display his craftiness on offense and take advantage of one of his strengths.
Of course, that's not to say that Miller should avoid being a volume 3-point shooter. But it might not be ideal that nearly 60 percent of his field-goal attempts, which is what happened last campaign.
Unfortunately, Lee could opt to stick to his guns, as his most recent tenures as an assistant coach were with the Milwaukee Bucks and then the Boston Celtics, both of which utilized 3-point-heavy offensive schemes. Suppose that's the case, Miller might have to be ready to lay aside his presumed desire to unleash his midrange weapon.