Brandon Miller’s night ended early Friday, and the Hornets immediately had another injury headache to sort through.
Charlotte said Miller felt right groin soreness in the second quarter against Boston and did not return. It was the latest setback for a player whose young career has already been interrupted by a long list of injuries.
Miller, the second overall pick in the 2023 draft, missed most of 2024/25 after tearing a ligament in his right wrist, an injury that required season-ending surgery. He also sat out time at the start of last season after partially dislocating his left shoulder, then had surgery in May to fix it.
The forward had been one of Charlotte’s most productive players this fall before Friday’s exit. Through nine games, he was averaging 22.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 32.9 minutes per game. The production came with some rough edges, though: he was averaging 2.6 turnovers against 2.3 assists, and his shooting line entering Friday was .359/.267/.861.
Some of those efficiency issues have come while Charlotte has been piecing together its rotation. Coby White didn’t make his season debut until Monday because of a left calf strain, and Kon Knueppel returned Wednesday for his first game after a left hamstring strain, only to leave after six minutes and be diagnosed with another left hamstring strain.
Before Friday’s game, head coach Charles Lee gave a brief update on Knueppel, according to Rod Boone. Lee said the team is still in the information-gathering phase and “it’s going to take a little bit of time” to figure out how long Knueppel might be out. Boone added that Lee would not say whether the injury should be considered day-to-day or week-to-week.
Charlotte was also without Grant Williams, who is still building back up after a right hamstring strain suffered in an offseason workout. The Hornets downgraded Moussa Diabate, dealing with right quadriceps tendinopathy, and Dennis Schröder, who has left thigh soreness, from questionable to out before tipoff. Ryan Kalkbrenner and Grayson Allen moved into the starting lineup with Diabate and Knueppel/Schröder unavailable.
The night itself got away from Charlotte in a hurry. The Hornets were blown out by Boston, dropping their sixth straight and falling to 3-7 after a surprisingly strong 3-1 start to the season.
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Hornets Fans Have Every Reason To Panic About This Start
The early stretch has been rough enough in Charlotte to make even patient observers uneasy. The Hornets have stumbled through a poor start marked by heavy losses, a low offensive rating and an offense that has struggled to find any real rhythm, especially at point guard. Injuries have only made the picture murkier, leaving the team short on answers while it waits for healthier bodies and a few new contributors to settle in.
For now, the concern is less about one bad night than the shape of the whole opening month. The Hornets have been getting buried on the scoreboard and have not shown much consistency on either end, which is a dangerous place to be this early. There is still time for the return of injured players and some internal improvement to change the mood, but right now the start has given fans every reason to worry about how deep this slide could go. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Hit Another Low As Brandon Miller Concern Grows
Bostons visit only deepened a rough stretch for Charlotte, which was overwhelmed from the start in a 119-80 loss as Jayson Tatum poured in 34 points and Derrick White and Payton Pritchard added steady support. The Hornets never found much rhythm offensively, and the margin kept widening as the game wore on, leaving another flat night for a team searching for answers.
The bigger concern for Charlotte came with Brandon Miller, who exited at halftime because of right groin soreness. For a team already trying to steady itself after another lopsided defeat, any issue involving one of its most important young players adds a layer of unease, especially with the offense already struggling to generate much of anything. [Read more 🡒]
Tatums Big Night May Have Clarified A Celtics Lineup Call
Bostons visit to Charlotte turned into a one-sided NBA Cup night almost immediately, with Jayson Tatum setting the tone in a game the Celtics controlled from the opening minutes. Boston jumped out to an 18-4 run and never let the Hornets find much rhythm, rolling to a 119-80 win behind Tatums all-around impact and a defense that kept the margin comfortable for most of the night.
For Charlotte, the game also came with another concern when Brandon Miller left in the second quarter with groin soreness and did not return. The Hornets were already chasing a game that had slipped away early, and Millers exit only deepened the challenge as they tried to regroup against a Celtics team that looked settled in every phase. [Read more 🡒]