Brandon Miller deserved more respect in recent player rankings

The Charlotte Hornets' selection of Brandon Miller was met with plenty of criticism during last year's draft. Some fans even blasted former majority owner Michael Jordan, thinking his parting gift to the franchise he was about to leave was another bust.

As it turned out, Miller has been everything the Hornets ever want out of a prospect. Following a slow start to his pro career, he eventually came into his own later on and finished his rookie campaign with averages of 17.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game.

While he is far from being one of the NBA's cream of the crop, the 21-year-old has certainly shown the potential to one day join the league's elite echelon.

Brandon Miller is not the 123rd-best player in the Association

Miller still has a lot to prove, but to say that there are 122 players better than him today might be foolhardy.

Matt Moore and Brandon Anderson of The Action Network recently ranked the top 100 players in the league today. It was a contentious list, to put it lightly, as they named Tyrese Haliburton a top-six player, ahead of the likes of LeBron James, Victor Wembanyama, Stephen Curry, Jayson Tatum, and Kevin Durant. In addition, the sportswriters inexplicably tabbed Finals MVP Jaylen Brown at No. 32.

Three Hornets made it to the list, with LaMelo Ball landing the 44th spot and Miles Bridges at 68th. While both arguably deserve to be higher, perhaps the most bewildering judgment is Miller barely joining the rankings at 95. Curiously, Moore believes the 2023 No. 2 pick is the 74th-best player, while Anderson has him at No. 123.

It was Moore's turn to discuss Miller's placement in the article, so there's no way of knowing how Anderson came to the conclusion that the 2024 Rookie of the Year finalist should be rated that low.

Whatever the case may be, what's clear is that there are pundits who have yet to really show respect to the aspiring star despite his strong performances last season.

Maybe some of them changed their minds after watching Miller put on a clinic in the Hornets' preseason matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies. It may have just been one game, but it could be a sign of a possible incoming All-Star campaign from the second-year pro.

Miller also issued the NBA a warning during media day, exclaiming that the next step in his development is a leveling up of his defense on the way to becoming a great two-way player. He can outplay his rank by achieving that goal.