When the Charlotte Hornets moved on from LaMelo Ball, the pressure didn’t disappear - it shifted. And it landed on two different shoulders for two different reasons.
Coby White is the one stepping directly into Ball’s spot in the lineup. He’ll be asked to run the offense the way Ball did, but there’s a built-in understanding from fans that he isn’t being asked to mimic Ball’s game. White is the newcomer filling the vacancy, and that matters.
Brandon Miller, though, is carrying a much heavier burden. He’s the one replacing Ball as the top voice in the locker room, the leader of the team and the face of the franchise. He’s also taking over as the No. 1 option on offense, with Charles Lee set to run things through Miller instead of Ball.
That’s why Miller feels like the real replacement here. The front office traded away the face of the team and the offensive engine, and if it didn’t believe in Miller, it likely wouldn’t have made that move. Even if the situation isn’t his fault, the expectations now belong to him.
And those expectations are rising fast. Miller has been productive, even while dealing with injury issues, but now he has to make the leap.
It’s year four, and there’s no more waiting for long-term development. He’s the favorite to win Most Improved Player this season, and while that award doesn’t mean much, the bigger point is that he has to take the next step.
What does that look like? First, he has to shoulder the scoring load. That shouldn’t be a major leap, considering he averaged 20 with Ball on the roster and with a wrapped shoulder all year.
He also needs to do more as a creator, both for himself and for his teammates, now that Ball is gone. And he has to become more reliable finishing at the rim, an area that has challenged him for much of his career.
White, by contrast, is more of a finished product, which lowers the pressure on him. Miller has the higher ceiling and more room to grow, but that only makes the spotlight brighter right now.
In Other News...
Which Hornets Deadline Deals Actually Paid Off For Charlotte
The Hornets have made no shortage of deadline moves in recent years, and the aftermath has been mixed enough to keep revisiting. Deals involving P.J. Washington, Gordon Hayward and Terry Rozier reshaped the roster in different ways, while newer swings brought in names like Grant Williams, Seth Curry and Collin Sexton as Charlotte kept trying to thread the needle between present help and future flexibility.
Some of those transactions have had a clear ripple effect, not just for Charlotte but for the teams that dealt with them, and the recent trade history around the Hornets has become a useful snapshot of how quickly a deadline can alter a franchises direction. Mark Williams and Jusuf Nurkic are also part of that ledger, which is why the Hornets deadline record has turned into more than a simple list of moves. [Read more 🡒]
Jerami Grant Trade Idea Could Change Memphis In A Surprising Way
The Hornets have already spent the offseason making some unusual moves, reshaping the roster with both departures and additions in ways that have kept the front office busy. One more speculative swing would send Grayson Allen and Grant Williams to Memphis in exchange for Jerami Grant, a deal that would add another layer to Charlottes ongoing effort to balance fit, flexibility and future value.
Jerami Grants name naturally invites intrigue because of what he could bring to a lineup that is still being sorted out after all that turnover. For Memphis, the appeal would be different, tied to the financial and roster implications of taking in Allen and Williams, while Charlotte would be betting on a cleaner fit at a position of need. It is only a proposal for now, but it is the kind of trade idea that can linger because it touches both sides of the ledger. [Read more 🡒]