Charles Lee isn’t interested in drawing a finish line for Brandon Miller.
The Hornets coach made it clear he sees the 22-year-old wing as more than a scorer and more than a promising young piece. Lee said Miller has the tools to grow into a true two-way force for Charlotte, and he wants that growth to keep going.
"He is capable of doing so much for our team and impacting the game in so many ways," Lee said. "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. 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... he did a heck of a job of impacting the game on both ends."
Miller’s production already gives Charlotte plenty to work with. He played in 65 games last season, his third year in the NBA, and put up 20.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. He shot 43.5% from the field, 38.3% from 3-point range and 89.2% at the line.
Those numbers fit with what he’s done across his career so far. Miller enters this season with averages of 19.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. He was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 draft.
The Hornets are also asking a lot more of him now. After trading LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges in the offseason, Charlotte is expected to lean heavily on Miller’s usage. Lee is widely expected to open the year with Coby White, Miller, Kon Knueppel, Reid and Moussa Diabaté in the starting five.
On paper, that gives Lee a lineup with real intrigue. Charlotte opens the 2026-27 season on the road against the Brooklyn Nets, then comes home for a matchup with the Atlanta Hawks.
Knueppel already showed he can handle a big role. Even though he didn’t win the 2025-26 Rookie of the Year award, he still delivered a huge season for the Hornets, averaging 18.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game while shooting 47.5% from the field, 42.5% from beyond the arc and 86.3% from the free-throw line. He also led the NBA in 3-pointers.
Reid is another name Hornets fans are eager to see in full. He won the 2023-24 Sixth Man of the Year award and brings career regular-season averages of 11.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game, along with playoff averages of 10.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.
Last season in Minnesota, he averaged 13.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists while shooting 45.6% from the field, 36.2% from 3 and 73.2% from the free-throw line. He also had six double-doubles.
Charlotte is still chasing something bigger. Lee is trying to guide the franchise to the playoffs for the first time since 2016, and the Miller-Knueppel pairing gives the Hornets a fresh path after the Ball-Bridges era never got them there. The next step, as Lee sees it, is finding out just how far Miller can take them.
In Other News...
Hornets Face A Huge Brandon Miller Decision With Big Stakes
Charlotte is staring at one of the biggest decisions of its young core, with Brandon Miller in line for a major extension discussion that could shape the franchises next several seasons. Around the league, teams are already juggling the same kind of early-extension calculus with promising wings and guards, but Millers case stands out because of how quickly his value has climbed and how much the Hornets have tied themselves to his development.
The stakes go beyond simple salary structure. Charlotte has to balance the appeal of locking in a foundational scorer against the kind of long-term risk that comes with committing early in a players career, especially when the price tag can escalate fast in todays market. For a team trying to build around a young nucleus, the decision on Miller is as much about roster direction as it is about the number on the contract. [Read more 🡒]
Brandon Millers Next Hornets Deal Could Get Very Expensive
Brandon Miller is already moving into the kind of contract conversation that signals a franchise has made its choice. The second-overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft is eligible for a rookie-scale extension with Charlotte, and the expectation is that the sides will work toward a long-term deal that reflects how important he has become to the Hornets future plans.
Head coach Charles Lee has publicly shown confidence in Miller as a foundational piece, which only adds to the sense that this next step is more about timing than uncertainty. Still, when a young wing starts lining up for a premium extension, the cost can climb quickly, and the Hornets are now staring at a negotiation that could shape their books as much as their roster. [Read more 🡒]
Liam McNeeley Has A Real Opening In Charlotte Now
Liam McNeeleys first year in Charlotte did not unfold like a clean arrival story. The rookie spent much of the season in the G League and never really carved out a steady rotation role, leaving him more as a long-term project than an immediate answer for the Hornets.
This season gives him a different kind of opening. With several key players out or unavailable, McNeeley should get a chance to play early, and the opportunity comes with a clear challenge: his shot alone may not be enough to keep him on the floor. The Hornets need wings who can contribute in more than one way, and McNeeleys next step may come from growing as a playmaker or finding ways to stand out defensively, the kind of improvement coaches have been encouraged by as they watch how he handles each new test. [Read more 🡒]