Is the Charlotte Hornets curse real? That's what some fans are probably wondering after hearing about Brandon Miller's status.
There was hope that the second-year swingman could recover from his wrist injury before the end of the regular season. Unfortunately, surgery was deemed necessary to repair a torn scaphulonate ligament in his right wrist, and, as such, he will miss the remainder of the 2024-25 campaign.
Now that he has also suffered a major injury, that makes three of the Hornets' foundational players.
Hornets' core hasn't played together that much
Fans have yet to be assured that LaMelo Ball and Mark Williams won't be stung hard by the injury bug again. It was only earlier this month when there seemed to be a Ball problem because the listed reason for his absence at one point was an ailment that had sidelined him long ago. As for Williams, he hasn't had a healthy season in three years in the NBA.
Miller will likely make a successful comeback in the 2025-26 campaign, but it's a challenge to be highly optimistic at this rate.
Besides, the Hornets have yet to determine how well the trio can play together because they have appeared in the same game just 20 times. To be fair, they have shown flashes of potential to be one of the most dangerous Big 3s in the league.
Ball has proven to be an elite playmaker, while Williams has looked like a dominant force inside the paint in recent contests. Miller is already a legitimate threat from long distance, although he can develop into a three-level scorer if he can improve his handling.
Unfortunately, any discussion about the Hornets trinity will remain theoretical for several months because of Miller's predicament.
Time is running out for the franchise to transition its lengthy rebuild to a contending phase. Ball is about to reach his prime, and some folks have already been urging him to demand a trade and leave Charlotte before it's too late.
The 2022 All-Star has shown no indication of planning to skip town, but the fact that he didn't get enough votes to be a starter in the coming All-Star Game despite being the leader in fan voting among all East guards could be weighing heavily on him. If Charlotte's record was better, chances are members of the media panel, which had him just seventh on the ballot, would have placed him higher.
Hopefully, Miller's injury won't be the reason for the breakup of the Hornets' core down the road.