Charlotte Hornets: Brandon Miller Goes for 26-Point Double-Double in Narrow Loss to Toronto
In a struggle-filled season for a team who had some high aspirations following its 43-39 season two years back, the Charlotte Hornets have struck something very valuable in forward Brandon Miller this season, and it's been evident.
As one of the best scorers in his class, the No. 2 overall pick in 2023 has showed his ability time and time again to put the ball in the hoop in countless ways throughout his rookie campaign. In his 54 games played and 48 starts, he's produced 25-plus points in eight of them, shooting over 40% from the field in each contest he'd done so.
A high volume shooter, sitting second among all rookies in total shot attempts this season, Miller's percentages do fall short when comparing him to the highest-performing rookies. But 16.7 points on 44-38-83 shooting splits is no slight feat for a first-year player with such a large role on a depleted Hornets team, even as the second overall pick.
Late into the season, Miller has competed in the most contests of any Hornet, and has continued to put up strong numbers in pursuit of a better record in the back half of the season, which is what he's managed to do.
A four-game win streak in February was undoubtedly the highest point of team success that Charlotte had seen this season – and Miller was a big part of that stretch, dropping 72 points throughout those four games.
Since then, the Hornets have gone 1-4 since Feb. 23, and Miller relatively struggled in three of those losses with efficiency issues. But against Toronto on Sunday night, he was able to get back on track despite Charlotte dropping the game by just five points.
111-106, Miller's 26 point, 10-rebound double-double on 52.4% shooting just wasn't enough to put them over the hump and defeat the Raptors and its rookie in Gradey Dick.
The playoff hopes have all but completely dwindled for the Hornets now sitting at 15-46. Though, with a rookie as talented as Miller, it'll be interesting to see where they place at the end of the season and how that leaks into next season.
Want to join the discussion? Like Draft Digest on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest NBA Draft news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.