Dennis Schroder didn’t just help the Charlotte Hornets beat the Miami Heat on Saturday - he carved out a place in NBA history while doing it.
In Charlotte’s 115-110 win, Schroder scored 25 points, becoming the only player in league history to reach that mark for nine different teams. The Hornets moved to 2-1 with the victory, and their newest guard kept rolling in the process.
Charlotte brought Schroder in from the Cleveland Cavaliers this offseason, and the fit comes with a built-in connection: he already has a close relationship with Charles Lee from their time together in Atlanta. Through three games, Schroder has given the Hornets 16.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists per night while shooting 44.4% from the field, 25.0% from deep and 100.0% at the line.
His career path explains why Saturday’s milestone landed the way it did. Schroder has now played for 12 NBA teams after starting with the Hawks in 2013. Since then, the 33-year-old has also suited up for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Lakers twice, Boston Celtics, Houston Rockets, Toronto Raptors, Brooklyn Nets, Golden State Warriors, Detroit Pistons, Sacramento Kings, Cavaliers and Hornets.
The veteran entered this season with regular-season career averages of 13.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 4.9 assists, along with playoff marks of 10.7 points, 2.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists.
Charlotte’s bigger picture, though, goes beyond one hot night. The Hornets haven’t reached the playoffs since 2016, the longest drought in the NBA, and the expectation inside the building is clear. After the opening-night win over the Nets, Brandon Miller said he and his teammates would do whatever it takes to get there.
Miller and Kon Knueppel are being treated as the new faces of the franchise in Charlotte’s post-LaMelo Ball-Miles Bridges era. The Hornets also locked Miller in with a five-year, $209 million rookie-scale extension. Before this season, he had career averages of 19.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists after going second overall in the 2023 draft.
So far, Miller is putting up 19.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists, but the shot has not followed. He’s hitting only 29.7% from the field and 20.0% from three, and Charlotte’s playoff hopes will depend in part on that number turning around.
Next for the Hornets is Washington, with both teams sitting at 2-1. The Wizards bring All-Stars Trae Young and Anthony Davis, which points to another serious test for Charlotte.
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Brandon Miller Now Carries A Big Test For This Shorthanded Hornets Team
Charlottes current homestand has already shown how much the offense can swing from one night to the next, and Brandon Miller has been right at the center of it. After a quiet scoring night in a loss to Atlanta, he answered with 34 points in a win over Miami, a reminder of how much the Hornets lean on his shot-making when the tempo picks up and the margin for error shrinks.
The next stop brings another shorthanded opponent in Washington, but Charlottes own injury situation is what makes this feel like a real test. With several regulars unavailable, the Hornets will need Miller to carry more of the load again, not just as a scorer but as the player most capable of stabilizing the group when the rotation is thinned out and the game turns into a grind. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Face An Early Test Their 2-1 Start Hasn't Answered
Charlottes 2-1 start has brought a little early momentum, but the next stretch offers a cleaner read on where this team really stands. The Hornets have already shown some resilience after taking a heavy loss, and theyve also proven they can rebound quickly after a rough night, which is part of what makes the opening week feel encouraging even if the schedule has been unforgiving.
Washington arrives with the kind of top-end talent that can tilt a game, and that is what gives this matchup its edge from the Wizards side. For Charlotte, the concern is less about the record and more about whether it can match that level of firepower for four quarters, especially after a game that asked plenty of its key scorers and exposed how thin the margin can be against a more star-driven opponent. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets 2-1 Start Comes With One Worry Fans Cant Ignore
A 2-1 start is the kind of opening that usually quiets a few early-season doubts, but Charlotte has not exactly looked like a team easing into things. The Hornets have banked their first two wins by narrow margins, and the underlying numbers have been less flattering than the record suggests. Even with a winning mark heading into the second week of the NBA season, there are already signs that the margin for error is thin.
The bigger concern is what happens once opponents start forcing Charlotte to play from behind or sustain possessions against stronger teams. The Hornets offense and defense have both lagged early, and the injury situation has not helped, with Coby White, Kon Knueppel and Grant Williams all unavailable. For now, the wins are there, but the tests ahead will tell much more about how real this start is. [Read more 🡒]