Brandon Miller didn’t need a massive night to feel the difference. For him, the return itself mattered, and the details around it mattered even more.
Back from a shin contusion, Miller played 23 minutes Sunday night and put up 18 points as the Charlotte Hornets handled the Milwaukee Bucks 105-90 at Spectrum Center. It was Charlotte’s first win of the preseason, and Miller looked like a player settling right back into rhythm after missing the Oct. 6 opener against Brooklyn, a 124-90 loss, because of the injury suffered in practice. The Hornets had listed him day-to-day.
Miller was efficient enough to make an impact all over the floor. He went 6-of-15 shooting overall and 4-of-9 from 3-point range, while also grabbing three rebounds and dishing four assists. He did a lot of his damage in the second quarter, pouring in 11 points as Charlotte took control with a 31-19 edge in the period and went into halftime ahead 60-45.
For Miller, that kind of night feeds the bigger picture. He said his confidence comes from being comfortable, putting in the effort and stacking the kinds of plays that help a team win.
"I would just say the comfortability, just finding what I like to do," Miller said. "The team trusts me to go out there and perform the way I do.
But I think just being comfortable out there while I'm playing as hard as I can, giving 110% effort every possession down and just making all the winning plays. So I think that's kind of like a confidence booster.
And I think that goes a long way in a basketball game."
Charlotte’s roster is still taking shape, and Miller pointed to the value of having experienced voices around a young group trying to grow into bigger games. The Hornets have not been to the playoffs since 2016, but Miller said the work has already started in how the group has come together.
"I think the connection is there," Miller explained. "We've been together since the summer, building these bonds since day one.
Just having guys like Grayson, older guys like Naz, people that's been around before or has been in that playoff era that we want to be in, I think they help us as young guys just to prepare us for the playoff type of games, the away games that are pretty loud. So just having guys like that is always a win for us."
Charlotte has been dealing with some preseason absences, too. Neither Kon Knueppel nor Coby White has played in a preseason game.
Knueppel averaged 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 3.4 assists as a rookie last season and led the NBA in 3-pointers made while shooting 42.5% from deep. Grayson Allen missed Sunday with right knee soreness.
Miller’s own numbers continue to underline why Charlotte leans on him. In his third season, he played 65 games last year and averaged 20.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.3 assists while shooting 43.5% from the field, 38.3% from 3, and 89.2% at the line.
A torn ligament in his right wrist ended his 2024-25 season after 27 games, and he was averaging 21.0 points at the time. The Hornets drafted him second overall in 2023.
After Sunday’s game, coach Charles Lee said he would never put a ceiling on Miller. Lee also said Miller wants to defend the opposing team’s best player and stay involved in offensive actions where he can create for others.
Tyler Herro scored 18 points for Milwaukee, which dropped to 1-2 in the preseason. Charlotte moved to 1-1.
In Other News...
Brandon Miller Just Put Serious Pressure On The Hornets
Brandon Millers emergence has put Charlotte in a familiar but important spot: the Hornets now have a young cornerstone worth paying like one. Miller is eligible for a five-year, $275 million extension, and after a season in which he averaged 20.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists, the team has every reason to treat this as more than a routine contract decision. With LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges already moved out in the roster overhaul, Miller has moved closer to the center of everything Charlotte wants to build.
The timing matters because the Hornets are expected to open the season with a newly constructed lineup that includes Miller alongside Coby White, Kon Knueppel, Naz Reid and Moussa Diabat. If no deal comes together, Miller will be headed toward restricted free agency next offseason, and that creates a real test for a franchise trying to reset while also locking in its best young piece. For Charlotte, the next step is not just about keeping Miller happy, but about proving the new version of the roster has a clear direction. [Read more 🡒]
Brandon Miller Faces One Huge Test As Hornets Bet On His Leap
LaMelo Balls move to Minnesota leaves Charlotte with a different kind of offensive center of gravity, and Brandon Miller is now the player the Hornets are counting on to help carry it. Entering the new season, Miller was ranked No. 49 on Bleacher Reports list of top NBA players, a reminder that he already has leaguewide respect even as the next step in his game becomes the bigger storyline for this team.
For the Hornets, the bet is straightforward: Miller has to score more and create more, because Charlottes push toward the playoffs starts with someone turning promise into nightly production. If he makes that leap, the conversation around the Hornets changes fast, especially for a franchise trying to end a drought that has stretched for more than a decade. [Read more 🡒]
Liam McNeeley Just Gave Hornets Fans A Reason To Believe
Liam McNeeley gave the Hornets something sturdier to build on in a preseason win over the Bucks, and it came in the same areas that had undercut him a game earlier. After opening the exhibition slate with six turnovers against Brooklyn, the rookie settled in against Milwaukee with five assists and no turnovers, while also scoring 11 points in Charlottes 105-90 victory. He also chipped in defensively, which fit into a cleaner team effort overall.
Charles Lee singled out McNeeleys accountability and the way Charlotte handled the ball and moved it around compared with the opener, a sign the Hornets were able to correct one of the rougher early preseason issues. For a young roster still sorting out roles and habits, those kinds of responses matter just as much as the final score, and McNeeleys bounce-back offered a useful early glimpse of what Charlotte wants to see more often. [Read more 🡒]