Brandon Miller delivered a statement performance in his long-awaited return to the floor

Miller finished the Hornets 2025-26 season opener with 25 points and 7 assists.

Oct 22, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller (24) drives over Brooklyn Nets forward Jalen Wilson (22) during the second half at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images | Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images

Brandon Miller returned to NBA regular-season action Wednesday night for the Charlotte Hornets season opener, making his first appearance since suffering a wrist injury on January 25, 2025.

Miller missed a total of 55 games in his sophomore season with a torn ligament in his wrist, an injury that ultimately required surgery. Currently, Miller is wearing tape on his wrist as a precaution, but says he feels completely healthy.

"No pain tonight," Miller said when asked how his wrist felt postgame.

Known to lead with confidence, Miller did not hesitate to answer when asked whether his return from injury brought any nerves or hesitation.

"No nerves. I think that’s what we work to do," Miller said. "I've been going through all of summer 100 percent, just blessed to be back playing with my teammates. Then having fun, and of course, we pulled out a great win for our first game. Just keep building from here on out."

Miller looked sharp in his return, leading the Hornets in scoring with 25 points, while also making his presence felt on the defensive end. Despite several highlight-worthy offensive plays, including two alley-oops in the first half from teammate LaMelo Ball, Miller said he was most proud of his defense.

"They’re alright," Miller said of his dunks. "Not compared to the defensive stops. I’ll take a stop then the dunks."

Hornets head coach Charles Lee was thrilled to have Miller back in action. "He adds an extra punch to our team. Melo gets it going, Miles gets it going, and now you throw Brandon into the mix and he's going to be an elite two-way player for us, too," Lee said on having Miller back in the lineup.

"I also think for other teams, too, just trying to figure out their matchups. Where are you putting your best defender? Where are you putting your second-best defender? A lot of times, he's going to benefit from how they rotate their defenders. He brings another element, another pop."

As for the favorite moment in his return, Miller said it was all about locking in on defense. "The best moments are just getting dialed in on the defensive side, getting the stops that we needed."

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