The Charlotte Hornets are on their way to another losing season, and it is still unclear how long the current rebuild will yield a competitive team that could at least seriously contend for a playoff spot. The good news is that the Hornets are arguably in a great position asset-wise.
LaMelo Ball headlines the roster as its most valuable piece, although some are apprehensive about the franchise's future if the point guard is its best player moving forward. Miles Bridges has developed into a nice two-way force this season, and the front office can either retain him this summer or ship him and his team-friendly contract. Mark Williams is likely as good as gone, considering how the recent trade deadline transpired.
Don't forget about the picks, as Charlotte has a treasure chest filled with future draft selections, including what fans are hoping will be a top choice in the 2025 NBA Draft. The Hornets can bring in roster reinforcements by either using their picks on prospects or trading them for more established guys.
Brandon Miller's improvement in one key facet will benefit the Hornets
Another reason a considerable chunk of the Hornets faithful is optimistic about the squad's future is Brandon Miller. The 2023 second-overall selection had proven his immunity to the dreaded sophomore slump when he logged impressive averages of 21.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game, albeit shooting rather inefficiently from the field, before going down with a season-ending wrist injury.
However, some are still not that sold on the 22-year-old rising star despite his relatively gaudy statistics.
Many have pointed out that his offense can sometimes be too predictable because it is predicated more on the perimeter. Sam Vecenie of the "Game Theory" podcast recently brought up how Miller was unable to consistently take advantage of his size and athleticism to try to attack the paint. Per NBA.com's tracking stats, he drove just 8.0 times per contest and converted a woeful 39.3 percent of his shots in such situations.
A huge obstacle to Miller's ability to drive more often and finish well inside the shaded area is his lack of elite handles.
The good news is that the swingman was still able to score as much as he did, even though he had a "very perimeter-centric game," as Vecenie put it. Still, it would be in the Hornets' best interest if Miller could add some more weapons to his offensive bag, as the team has relied too much on Ball and Bridges in this campaign to create shots for the rest of the squad.
Of course, the return of Tre Mann and the possible acquisition of other offensive initiators via the draft, free agency, or trade can provide the team with the needed boost. However, Brandon has to step up to the plate as one of Charlotte's foundational players.