Charlotte Hornets: Brandon Miller Drops 18 Points En Route to Breaking 10-Game Skid
As the trade deadline continued to rear its head around the corner, a struggling Charlotte Hornets team realized it needed to make changes.
Finishing 27-55 and No. 14 in the Eastern Conference a year ago with budding talent, some in-house disruptions had stunted the progression this team more than likely could have made. But it hasn't all been bad thus far, as Brandon Miller has shown he is more than capable of scoring to his own accord in his rookie season as the second overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
Now, the Hornets' front office has looked to bolster Miller with several pieces that could enhance his game and the entire team.
And as Charlotte was 10-31 by mid-January, general manager Mitch Kupchak started making his moves – the first one being a trade for veteran guard Kyle Lowry (who was later waived) of the Miami Heat, while shipping off 29-year-old guard Terry Rosier. In addition to Lowry, the Hornets also received a 2027 protected lottery pick, which became unprotected the following year.
The next move came early on the day of the trade deadline, Feb. 8, where Charlotte shipped off another veteran in Gordon Hayward to the Oklahoma City Thunder for a promising, talented guard in 23-year-old Tre Mann, sharpshooter Davis Bertans and playmaker Vasilije Micic, alongside two second-round draft picks in 2024 and 2025.
The final move of the day was another pivotal move, sending P.J. Washington to the Dallas Mavericks for Grant Williams, Seth Curry and a lightly protected 2027 first-round pick.
Now just before the All-Star break, the Hornets boasted a reinvigorated lineup to help take the scoring load off Miller, as well as Miles Bridges.
The first game with the new-look Hornets went as well as it could, defeating the Memphis Grizzlies 115-106 to snap its 10-game losing streak.
In the win, Miller shot the ball just nine times – less than half of his average attempts this month – and converted on seven of them for 18 points, having had one of his most efficient nights on the season.
As Miller's load lessened, his new teammates' load heightened.
Mann was implemented in the starting lineup in his first game as a Hornet –the only newly acquired player to do so – to mark his first start of the season. He generated nine points and nine assists in 27 minutes.
For Williams coming off the bench, he posted 15 points of his own paired with eight rebounds. Curry added three points and two steals.
But arguably the most impressive on the night was Micic, who continuously made plays on the floor for himself and others in his Hornets debut to contribute 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting and nine assists in 26 minutes.
These new pieces have a chance to elevate the remainder of Miller's rookie season, hopefully raising the quality of play in Charlotte. And in their first game together as a unit, it looked promising.
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