Brandon Miller’s preseason hit a snag this week, and the Charlotte Hornets are calling it a shin contusion. The team said Miller is day-to-day after the injury in practice, and he already sat out Tuesday’s game against the Brooklyn Nets.
Charlotte’s next preseason test comes Sunday against the Milwaukee Bucks, giving the Hornets a short runway to see whether Miller can get back on the floor. The timing matters, too, because Miller is headed into a season where the spotlight is only getting brighter.
NBA insider Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints believes Charlotte could soon lock Miller into a five-year, $220 million extension. If the sides don’t reach a rookie-scale deal, Miller would become a restricted free agent next offseason.
Miller has already given the Hornets plenty to build around. Last season, his third in the league, he played 65 games and averaged 20.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists while shooting 43.5% from the field, 38.3% from 3-point range and 89.2% at the line. He now carries career averages of 19.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists, and he was the No. 2 pick in the 2023 draft.
Charlotte’s roster looks different now, and Miller’s role figures to be huge. The Hornets traded LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges in the offseason, which opens the door for a major jump in usage for Miller. Head coach Charles Lee is widely expected to start Coby White, Miller, Kon Knueppel, Naz Reid and Moussa Diabaté.
That group has drawn attention, especially with Charlotte trying to push toward the playoffs for the first time since 2016. The Hornets never reached the postseason with Ball and Bridges leading the way, so the pressure now shifts to Miller and Knueppel to do what that previous core could not.
Knueppel already made a strong first impression. Even though he didn’t win the 2025-26 Rookie of the Year award, he still turned in a big season for Charlotte, averaging 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists while shooting 47.5% from the field, 42.5% from deep and 86.3% from the free-throw line. He also led the NBA in 3-pointers.
Reid has quickly become another player fans are eager to watch. Speaking to local reporters after practice, the new Hornets big man compared Miller to Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards. Reid said he saw Edwards take his game to another level in Year 4, and he believes Miller can do the same as he enters his fourth NBA season.
Reid brings his own résumé to Charlotte after winning the 2023-24 Sixth Man of the Year award. He enters the season with regular-season averages of 11.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists, along with playoff averages of 10.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists. Last season in Minnesota, he posted 13.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game while shooting 45.6% from the field, 36.2% from 3 and 73.2% from the line, and he finished with six double-doubles.
The Hornets open the 2026-27 season on the road against the Brooklyn Nets, then return home to face the Atlanta Hawks in their home opener.
In Other News...
Hornets Already Have A Point Guard Problem After Moving LaMelo
Moving on from LaMelo Ball was always going to reshape the Hornets backcourt, and the early returns have only made the point guard picture look more unsettled. Charlotte tried to patch things up by re-signing Coby White, drafting Christian Anderson Jr. and bringing in Dennis Schrder, a group that was supposed to keep the position steady while the franchise moved into its next phase.
Instead, the preseason has already brought more questions than answers. Anderson struggled in Summer League and is dealing with an injury, while White is sidelined with a calf issue and will miss preseason games, leaving Charlotte thin at the spot before the games even count. Ball, meanwhile, opened his Minnesota preseason looking comfortable in his new uniform, which only sharpens the contrast for Hornets fans still waiting to see whether the team's next answer at point guard is actually in place. [Read more 🡒]
Naz Reid Already Feels Like A Huge Part Of Charlottes Reset
Before Charlottes first preseason game against Brooklyn, Charles Lee was already talking about Naz Reid like a player who can help steady the Hornets new direction. The big man arrived from Minnesota as part of the LaMelo Ball trade, and his first taste of a Charlotte uniform offered a quick glimpse of why the team wanted him in the mix as it starts over with a reshaped roster.
Reid wasted little time showing he can bring scoring and activity in short bursts, and that matters for a Hornets group still sorting out how its pieces fit together around young talent such as Miller and Knueppel. With the season just getting underway, Charlotte is trying to establish roles and identity, and Reids early return has at least given the coaching staff one more reason to believe the reset can take hold sooner rather than later. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Preseason Opener Revealed An Early Question About Charlotte's New Look
The Hornets preseason opener in Brooklyn offered an early look at how this new group wants to play, and it also showed how much still has to be sorted out. Even in a loss to the Nets, there were encouraging signs in the way Charlotte spaced the floor and tried to let multiple players handle the ball, with Grayson Allen and Royce ONeale providing shot-making and playmaking, while Sion James looked comfortable enough running the offense in stretches.
The bigger takeaway may have been the mix of promise and rough edges from the younger pieces. Rookie Hannes Steinbach saw only limited minutes, and Liam McNeeley flashed the kind of shooting that can translate quickly, but the possession-by-possession details were less tidy than Charlotte would like this early in camp. For a team still figuring out its rotations and identity, the opener made clear that the talent is there, but the fit will take some time. [Read more 🡒]