Brandon Miller is moving into a bigger spotlight in Charlotte, and the league has already taken notice.
The Hornets forward landed on an NBA top-100 countdown list ahead of the season, a nod that comes as Charlotte shifts into a new phase after trading away LaMelo Ball this offseason. With Ball gone, Miller is now the face of the franchise and the player the Hornets will lean on most as they try to reset the direction of the team.
Miller, the former No. 2 overall pick, is heading into his fourth NBA season with plenty of promise already on the board. The next step is less about flashes and more about putting it together night after night. Charlotte needs him to handle more responsibility, and he understands exactly what that means.
“Do I know if we are going to be good or great?” Miller said.
“I know we are going to be a hard-working team. It’s not about who makes the most shots.
It’s about who can play consistently at 110% every night. I think that’s one thing we are going to take pride in.”
There’s no clear read yet on what this Hornets team will look like when the season gets going, and Miller didn’t pretend otherwise. Still, he sounds ready for the challenge, especially with the chance to help lead Charlotte toward something it hasn’t reached in years.
The Hornets have not made the playoffs since the 2015-16 season. They have gotten close through the NBA Play-In Tournament, only to fall short when it mattered most. Miller knows the drought and wants to be part of ending it.
“Every loss drives me,” Miller said. “I’m not a guy that takes losing well. Any games we lose, I would be looking for that one again.”
Last season, Miller averaged 20.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.0 steals across 65 games. With Ball no longer in the mix, those numbers could climb even higher, and Charlotte will need them to if it wants to stay in the conversation.
In Other News...
Hornets Latest Signing Hints At A Bigger Greensboro Swarm Plan
The latest addition to Charlottes offseason roster fits a pattern the Hornets have leaned into as they build out the back end of camp. Guard-forward Kobe Stewart arrived on a non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 deal, a type of contract that gives the organization flexibility while also keeping another young player in the pipeline. Stewart spent last season in the G League with multiple teams, so the move looks less like a headline-grabber and more like another step in stocking the system around the Greensboro Swarm.
What makes the signing notable is the direction it points for Charlottes developmental setup. The Hornets have used a string of similar contracts with an eye toward steering players to the Swarm, where they can stay close to the organization and compete for future opportunities. Stewart is expected to land there as well, although the final piece of the arrangement still depends on the right kind of roster shuffle behind the scenes. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Keep Quietly Reshaping One Overlooked Part Of Their Roster
Charlottes back end of the roster is still taking shape, and the latest move fits the pattern. The Hornets have been cycling through training camp additions while sorting out the names most likely to spend the next few weeks in Greensboro, with Exhibit 10 contracts becoming a steady part of the process as the organization looks for depth and developmental fits.
Kobe Stewart is the newest addition to that mix, arriving on an Exhibit 10 deal as Charlotte continues to tinker with its camp group. The move came with a corresponding waiver of Jarkel Joiner, another reminder that these are the kinds of transactions that often fly under the radar even as they help define which players get a real opportunity to stick around. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Enter A True Reset With One Big Question Ahead
Grant Williams said the Hornets offseason has still had the feel of a real team, with more than 12 players getting together in the gym throughout the summer as Charlotte works through a major reset. After the franchise moved on from LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges, the roster looks markedly different, and head coach Charles Lee is expected to begin laying down a new lineup with a group that has spent plenty of time together even as the pieces around them have changed.
Jeff Peterson has already signaled confidence in the young forward core, pointing to Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel as important parts of what comes next. For Charlotte, the trades were only the first step in a broader transition, and the bigger question now is how quickly that revamped group can turn offseason commitment into something that looks organized once the games start for real. [Read more 🡒]