Charles Lee isn’t subtle about where Brandon Miller fits in Charlotte’s engine.
The Hornets coach said Miller is central to the team’s pace, and he laid out the bigger picture Wednesday night after Charlotte’s 114-93 preseason loss to Boston at TD Garden. Miller finished with 16 points, five rebounds and three assists in 27 minutes, the most on the team, after a rough start that saw him miss eight of nine shots in the first half and go to the break with just 2 points.
He came alive in the third quarter, scoring 12 of his 16 there as Charlotte cut into an 18-point deficit and pulled within six during a 14-3 run. Boston still led 85-77 after three and closed it out.
“I think that we get to see when he steps on the court, he has a great two-way mindset,” Lee said. “We feel his impact defensively and then offensively.
He can score in a bunch of different ways. He playmakes in a bunch of ways.
He's really vital to our pace.”
“I think that when he's out and running, guys are looking for him,” Lee continued. “They trust him with the pass. I think that he really opens up a ton of things for us offensively and then again, love the impact he's given us defensively.”
Charlotte was missing several rotation pieces for the game. Kon Knueppel sat out with a hamstring injury, Grant Williams was sidelined as well, Coby White missed it with a calf injury, and Grayson Allen was out for a second straight night because of his knee.
Lee’s message, though, was about Miller and the range Charlotte wants from him this season. The coach said the Hornets don’t want to put a limit on what the wing can become.
“He is capable of doing so much for our team and impacting the game in so many ways,” Lee explained. “I would never put a ceiling on what he's able to accomplish for us. I want to see him continue to be an elite two-way player, and do it consistently every night.”
“We want to keep pushing the envelope with Brandon,” Lee added. “Brandon wants us to keep pushing him.
He wants to guard the best player. He wants to continue to be in an offensive action so that he can be a playmaker.”
That emphasis comes with Miller coming off his best NBA season. In 65 games last year, he averaged 20.2 points and 4.9 rebounds while shooting 38.3% from 3-point range, a career best, and 89.2% from the line.
Charlotte finished 44-38, then lost 121-90 at Orlando in the play-in on April 17. The Hornets’ last playoff trip came in 2016.
Miller’s path over the last year has also included a long layoff. A torn wrist ligament in January 2025 required surgery and cost him 55 games.
His first regular-season game back came on Oct. 22, 2025, when he scored 25 points and handed out 7 assists against Brooklyn. He also missed Charlotte’s preseason opener against Brooklyn on Oct. 6 with a shin injury, then returned five days later to score 18 in a 15-point win over Milwaukee.
Wednesday’s outing was another reminder of how quickly he can flip a game. It also fit the pattern Lee wants to keep sharpening: Miller attacking, creating and defending at the same time.
The Hornets’ roster has changed around him, too. Ball went to Minnesota in a six-team trade this summer, with Naz Reid coming back to Charlotte in the deal.
Knueppel, a Rookie of the Year finalist last season, led the NBA in 3-pointers. Miller’s own résumé keeps growing as well: Charlotte selected him second overall out of Alabama in 2023, one pick after San Antonio took Victor Wembanyama, and he carries a career scoring average of 19.0 points.
Charlotte opens its regular season Oct. 21 in Brooklyn and plays its home opener Oct. 23 against Atlanta. Wednesday also marked the Hornets’ sixth straight preseason loss to Boston.
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