NBA insider hails Brandon Miller ahead of possible Year 3 leap

Where does Charlotte Hornets star Brandon Miller rank among his peers? Given that he's not the stereotypical shooting guard, he falls perfectly into the modern NBA's "wing" category. He's a genuine wing player, meaning he can play the two, three, or four, but he'll pretty much never be stationed down low.

Most of the NBA's shooting guards, small forwards, and some power forwards are the same way, which makes it easy to just look at wings, which is what The Athletic's Zach Harper did. And in doing so, he ranked them and paid Miller a huge compliment.

Brandon Miller lands incredible spot in Zach Harper's rankings

Naturally, Brandon Miller did not land in the first tier, which is comprised of "all-time legends" that are still elite. LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Kawhi Leonard were here. As optimistic as anyone is on Miller, he's certainly not there, nor is he in the next tier: "All-NBA Level Wings."

Understandably, Miller is not included among Jimmy Butler, Jaylen Brown, Paul George, and Jalen Williams. Miller wasn't in tiers three or four, either. Those were filled with players like Scottie Barnes, Franz Wagner, and Mikal Bridges.

But that's when Miller finally comes into play. He's in the tier of "we should see a leap with these guys," according to Harper. Not only that, but he leads those players and ranks 16th out of all wings. He's ahead of guys like Cameron Johnson, Ausar Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, and even Kon Knueppel, who snuck on as the 40th out of 40.

About Miller, Harper said, "A healthy Miller for Charlotte could put up a great third season." He was seemingly on his way to a great season last year before a wrist injury derailed him and kept him off the court for two-thirds of the season.

And it might seem like Miller is not ranked all that well considering all the names I listed that were ahead of him, but he was 16th out of all wings, which is very impressive. He also lead the list of good players we all expect to get better, so it's a really strong endorsement for the Hornets wing.

- MORE STORIES FROM HORNETS ON SI -

Three bold LaMelo Ball predictions for what will be a crucial 2025-26 season

What is Moussa Diabate's potential in the Charlotte Hornets offense?

ESPN forecasts middling improvement from Charlotte Hornets this season

One analyst expects dreadful offense from Charlotte Hornets in 2025-26