Charlotte Hornets GM and VP of Basketball Operations Jeff Peterson opened media day with the update fans had been waiting for: Brandon Miller is moving in the right direction after shoulder surgery a few months ago.
“Yeah, Brandon's been amazing this summer,” Peterson began when asked about an update on Miller after his shoulder surgery a few months ago. “He has worked his butt off in the weight room on the court. Love the progress that he's making, and yeah, expect him to participate in training camp and be ready to roll.”
That was the headline item from Peterson’s first session, but it was far from the only message he delivered. He spent much of his time talking about the Hornets’ added depth and the veteran presence brought in by Grayson Allen, Royce O'Neale, Dennis Schröder, and Naz Reid. Peterson made it clear he sees those additions as a major factor for Charlotte heading into the season.
When asked about how much that experience could help the team’s younger players, especially with O'Neale’s 10 playoff series appearances and Schröder’s trip to the Eastern Conference Finals with Cleveland last year, Peterson sounded confident in the direction the roster is heading.
“Yeah, I'm extremely confident (we can sustain our level of play),” Peterson said. “Again, you know, part of part of what we do, you know, I have a single focus: And that's just to put this team, this organization, in the best position possible, not only in the short-term but our long-term as well.
So I'm very, very excited about this group, (and) the cohesiveness that they're going to be able to form. Of course, like I said, we do have other resources the way that we want to.”
Peterson also addressed the broader roster-building question that sits at the center of every front office’s work: how to balance star power with depth. His answer pointed to the same idea - teams need both.
“I think you've got to do both. You know, there's plenty of examples that look at New York last year,” Peterson said.
“You know, they have a ton of top-end talent, but of course, you know, guys came off the bench and produced as well, and ultimately, we know what the result was for them. But there's countless examples of, you know, teams that maybe try to load up at the top with a ton of talent and just don't have the depth to continue to push forward, especially when it gets to the playoffs and the game slows down.
"It's more physical, things like that. So I think you have to do both.
But again, the fortunate part of our situation, I think we have the ability to do both. We have some really, really good players, a young, young core, and again, our veterans -- just the depth (in general).”
Media day is just getting started, and more updates from Charlotte are expected as the day continues.
In Other News...
Rob Dillingham Already Feels Like A Hornets Roster Question
Rob Dillingham is barely in the door and already feels like one of the Hornets cleaner roster questions. Charlotte acquired him from the Chicago Bulls, but he will miss the teams media day, a small detail that still says plenty about how quickly this move has turned from a fresh addition into a numbers game for the front office.
The bigger backdrop is Charlottes roster crunch, with the team needing to get down to 15 standard contracts before opening night. Dillingham is under contract now and has already been with three NBA teams since being drafted in 2024, yet there has been little public indication from Jeff Peterson that the Hornets view him as a long-term piece, which leaves his place on the roster looking very much unsettled. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets May Have Just Let A Young Guard Slip Away
The Hornets latest trade-deadline move brought Dorian Finney-Smith into Charlotte while sending Buddy Hield, Ryan Nembhard and cash considerations to Atlanta, a deal that looked more like a veteran shuffle than a long-term roster swing. But the transaction may have had an overlooked angle for Charlotte, because Nembhard came in as part of the package and brought the kind of young backcourt intrigue teams often try to uncover in these swaps.
Now there is a real chance he does not stay available for long. The Nuggets have shown interest in adding Nembhard on a two-way contract if he clears waivers, and Denver also recently signed 2023 first-round pick Cam Whitmore to a two-way NBA deal, a reminder that clubs around the league are still hunting for developmental guards wherever they can find them. For the Hornets, it is the sort of small personnel decision that can linger if a young player finds a cleaner path elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets New Depth Faces An Early Test Before Opening Night
Charlottes new-look roster is already dealing with an early setback, with Grant Williams and Kon Knueppel sidelined by hamstring injuries that will keep both out of all four preseason games. The injuries happened during offseason activity, and the Hornets plan to re-evaluate both players when the regular season approaches, leaving an otherwise busy camp with a little less clarity than they would have hoped.
Even so, Williams has been struck by how much deeper the group looks after the offseason overhaul. The Hornets moved on from LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges, then added several new faces, including Coby White, Dorian Finney-Smith, Buddy Hield, Ryan Nembhard and Rob Dillingham, giving the roster a very different feel as the team tries to sort out roles before opening night. [Read more 🡒]