The NBA has begun to officially announce their awards for the 2023-24 season. Although the Charlotte Hornets once again finished in the proverbial basement of the Association’s standings, 2023 No. 2 overall pick Brandon Miller was a huge bright spot.
After averaging 17.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists while shooting 37.3 percent on three-pointers, Miller finished third in Rookie of the Year balloting. Miller received one second-place vote, but ended a distant third behind Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs) and Chet Holmgren (Oklahoma City Thunder).
Miller finished his rookie campaign on an absolute tear, especially post-All-Star-break: 18.5 points on a 54.4 true shooting percentage. Also, while LaMelo Ball missed extensive time due to persistent ankle issues, Miller took on a much higher usage rate over the final few months and maintained even better production in the process.
Charlotte now knows Miller is a cemented building block, maybe even on firmer ground right now than Ball. Every team in the Association craves a versatile wing who can score on all three levels, which Miller provides in spades.
Entering into his sophomore season in the NBA for the Hornets, Miller is poised to quickly become a 20-plus point per game scorer. And if the Hornets hit it out of the park with their head coaching hire, plus find the right pieces to put around Miller and Ball, maybe their decade-long postseason drought will come to a screeching halt.
“Individually, I think it was great overall,” Miller said at his end-of-season availability. “Couldn’t get the amount of wins that we needed to have to be in the playoffs, and I think that’s one of the things we’re looking more serious into going into next season.
“I think I have a lot to show that I didn’t show. Of course, you’re not going to show everything in all the games, but, like I said, next season is going to be a great season.”
Steve Clifford, who is now moving into a front office advisory role from the head coach perch, knows the sky is the limit now with Miller.
“I was excited about him last year,” Clifford said. “But he’s already a better player than I thought he could be.”