Brandon Miller has a clear path to his first All-Star nod this season, and the case starts with opportunity. The Charlotte Hornets haven’t had an All-Star in four years, and the last one was LaMelo Ball, who is now with the Minnesota Timberwolves. This year, the spotlight shifts to Miller.
With all due respect to Kon Knueppel, this is Brandon Miller’s team. That matters because the Hornets are moving on without LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges, which opens up an average of 30 attempts per game. Someone has to absorb that volume, and Miller looks like the most obvious candidate.
That kind of usage brings responsibility, especially when the big shot is there for the taking. Miller has already shown he can handle it.
He’s coming off his second straight 20-point season while taking only 16 shots per game, and he played 65 games last year. If he stays healthy, there’s no reason to think he won’t keep delivering.
There’s also the timing of it all. Miller is entering what should be his prime, and year four is often when players start to settle in and really understand the demands of the NBA schedule. The source points to that as the stage where “conscious competence” takes hold - the point where a player has made the corrections and starts putting them into practice.
The next step, naturally, is making that process look effortless. The greats talk about “letting the game come to them,” and that’s the lane Miller is in now.
He’s not learning the basics anymore. He’s refining them.
Then there’s the contract angle. Miller is trying to get that long-term extension, and proving he deserves it means showing up when the pressure rises. That’s part of the equation too: production, responsibility, and the ability to carry more when the team needs it.
Put it together, and the argument is pretty straightforward. This is Miller’s moment, and if he handles it the way the Hornets need him to, his first All-Star Game should be right there with it.
In Other News...
Hornets Fans Know Exactly Why This New Topps Release Will Sting
Topps is lining up a fresh round of basketball card buzz with its 2025-26 Chrome Black release, and the timing figures to matter in Charlotte. Pre-orders open Tuesday, July 28 at 12 p.m. EST on the companys website, with the product set to include rookie cards, parallels, inserts like Carbon Flare and Home Court, and autographs from some of the sports biggest names.
For Hornets fans, though, the real draw is the rookie chase, especially with Kon Knueppel and Cooper Flagg among the names in the set. The only thing still hanging over the release is the price tag, which Topps has not announced yet, leaving collectors to wonder how steep the entry point will be when the pre-order window opens. [Read more 🡒]
Should Hornets Risk Scarce Assets On Peyton Watson's Upside
Peyton Watson has become the sort of restricted free agent who can make a front office pause, especially for a team like Charlotte that is still hunting for young, two-way talent without much margin for error. The Hornets have been linked to the idea of working out a sign-and-trade with Denver, a path that would let the Nuggets manage their cap situation while giving Charlotte a chance to buy into Watsons upside rather than waiting for the market to sort itself out.
The appeal is obvious after Watsons recent season in Denver, when he flashed real value on both ends and looked like a player whose game was starting to turn a corner. The risk is just as clear, though, because the sample is still small and the cost of chasing that kind of promise can be steep for a team that needs every asset to count. If Charlotte is serious, the question is not whether Watson fits the profile of a worthwhile swing, but how much of its future it is willing to put on the table to get him. [Read more 🡒]
Gilbert Arenas Just Flipped The LaMelo Play In Blame Game
Gilbert Arenas has a habit of turning a familiar basketball argument on its head, and this time the debate circles back to a Charlotte moment that still lingers. LaMelo Ball was fined by the NBA after a hard foul that sent Bam Adebayo out of a play-in game late in overtime, and the play quickly became part of the larger conversation about how much force was too much in a game with so much on the line.
Arenas, though, pushed the discussion in a different direction by disputing the criticism aimed at Ball and suggesting the focus should not be on Charlottes guard at all. His take adds another layer to a sequence that already drew plenty of attention, even if the larger claim around the injury and Miamis handling of it remains exactly the kind of thing that keeps the blame game humming long after the final buzzer. [Read more 🡒]