Blazers, playing without Scoot Henderson, keep Hornets winless in summer league

The Charlotte Hornets’ summer league game against the Portland Trail Blazers was billed as No. 2 against No. 3. But after injuring his shoulder, No. 3 overall pick Scoot Henderson missed the game against the team that passed on him for Brandon Miller in the NBA Draft.

Although it wasn’t the marquee matchup many were anticipating when the schedule was released, Miller still played, and so did No. 27 pick Nick Smith Jr. The former AAU teammates combined for 59 points on Tuesday, but it wasn’t enough as Charlotte fell, 97-93, dropping to 0-3 in Las Vegas.

“They looked like they had a mindset of being a little bit more aggressive. Especially Nick. Nick kind of got it going,” said Hornets assistant coach Marlon Garnett, who is coaching Charlotte during summer league. “I liked the pop that Brandon had. And again, good offensive games, but just as a whole, we got to be better with the small details.”

Miller finished with 26 points, going 8-for-15 from the field and 3-for-6 from 3-point range, adding six rebounds, two assists and two blocks. It was his best game in a Hornets uniform, two days after he scored 10 points on 18 shots.

Miller’s night got off to a quick start as he had a stretch in the first quarter where he scored the Hornets’ next seven points, including a 3-point play and a highlight alley-oop from Smith. The 6-foot-9 forward continued to impress in the first half, converting another 3-point opportunity and draining a shot from behind the arc, entering the break with 15 points.

The Hornets’ first make of the second half was a 3-pointer from Miller, and on the next possession, he drove to the basket, where he threw down a massive slam.

“I kind of let the game come to me,” Miller said. “I feel like I was put in the right places to get off comfortable shots. And then my teammates just building my confidence up to take tough shots like that in games like this, with a great atmosphere.”

Smith was dominant against Portland, scoring a game-high 33 points, going 13-for-20 from the field and 4-for-5 from 3-point range. He erupted in the final quarter, scoring 16 points, including the Hornets’ final 12, with one highlight-reel bucket after another.

“We tried to put him in situations where guys that couldn’t or struggled to stay in front of him (were guarding him), and he was making some plays,” Garnett said. “It was good to see him kind of get rolling.”

The 6-5 Smith is playing point guard for the first time since high school, when he was ranked the No. 1 recruit in the nation, according to 247Sports. It’s something he’s been adjusting to in summer league, and his six turnovers against Portland are evidence of that.

“I’m just getting more comfortable just being out there, period,” Smith said. “Just to get a chance to play point, just see different things, see things go through. It’s definitely a good day for me, but I just got to come with the same mindset next game.”

As for the Miller and Smith combo, it’s something that’s been in action since they were around age 14. The Brad Beal Elite teammates have won a ton of games together, including leading their team to the Peach Jam finals in 2021.

And that long-time connection hasn’t gotten lost in the NBA.

“It helped us out a lot,” Smith said. “Just on the simple fact that he’s been there since. He’s seen my grind, I’ve seen his grind, literally. It’s kind of surreal. It really hasn’t hit us yet, for real.”

After teaming up on the AAU circuit, Miller and Smith split up for college. Miller starred at Alabama, winning SEC Player of the Year, while Smith went to Arkansas, where he battled some injuries. Following Tuesday’s game, Miller thought back to his time with Smith before college.

“Me and Nick, we go way back,” he said. “I still feel like he should have went to Bama. But, you know, he chose Arkansas, which, I mean, it (was) not a bad fit for him.”

Now, the two are together again and making strides as professional players.