How Hornets rookie Brandon Miller fared in his preseason debut against the Heat
Standing next to Mark Williams inside the Charlotte Hornets’ locker room, Brandon Miller took umbrage with the 7-footer’s giddiness.
Williams is no longer one of the lowest figures on the Hornets’ totem pole — and loving it.
“What’s wrong with being a rookie?” Miller asked Tuesday night.
Spoken like a true first-year player, even after his first night of NBA action. But Miller couldn’t deny the leap to the pros from the collegiate level is akin to another stratosphere.
“It’s different,” Miller said. “Definitely a bigger crowd. I think we just have to all buy in together and just tune everything out that’s not inside the lines.”
Miller was decent in his preseason debut with the Hornets, but far from spectacular against Miami. He scored eight points to go with three rebounds and three assists and a pair of rebounds in 21 minutes, misfiring on all four of his 3-point attempts.
But those numbers should also come with a cautionary note: Miller wasn’t on the court with any of the Hornets’ starters for the bulk of his minutes, making it a little more difficult to slip through the Heat’s defense without the likes of LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier or any other notable playmakers to take some of the focus.
“I thought he played well,” coach Steve Clifford said. “Look, they are hard to play against, and he did a lot of good things and he played well defensively. So, yeah, it’s hard because guys can’t obviously play their regular minutes and we’ve got to slowly build them up. So, it’s hard to sub the way you would during a regular season game.”
Miller opened up his offensive arsenal a bit, but mostly kept it simple. And there was no settling for jumpers. In fact, it was quite the opposite.
Miller was aggressive the first time he touched the ball, forgoing an opportunity to take a deep jumper. Instead, he drove toward the foul line and picked up a foul on Duncan Robinson, leading to a pair of made free throws.
“I just feel like I went out there with the intention of just having fun with my teammates,” Miller said. “I think that’s all I can ask for, is just really go out there and play as hard as we can and compete at a high level.
“Unfortunately, we couldn’t get a win. But I think just getting better every day, it can go a long way with the season.”
As with any rookie, whether it’s preseason or in meaningful games, there’s also going to be a play or two they want back. Miller broke one of the basic rules of a passer, leaving his feet in an attempt to get the ball to JT Thor. To compound the error, there were only eight seconds remaining in the quarter when he threw the ball away and the Hornets didn’t get the last shot.
Miller made the same mistake again early in the second quarter, leading to a turnover and an easy basket on the other end by Miami. Miller also lost the ball on another drive minutes later.
“I think it’s just making the right plays, taking the long way to bond with everybody,” Miller said. “I think (it’s) me just making that one more pass, just not being selfish. Like I said, (be) a team player, and just make all the plays to go out here and get a good win against a great team.”
But that’s what the preseason is for: seeing what works and ironing out as many kinks as possible. That’s what Miller, along with fellow first-year players Nick Smith Jr. and Amari Bailey, are trying to do before the games start to count.
“For most guys training camp and everything is super new,” Clifford said. “So for the other guys, they are just learning. Brandon is different, Brandon has a super high IQ. He learns extremely quickly, He’s ready to play right now.”
He already has a fan in Ball.
“Smooth,” Ball said. “B. Mill is smooth, learning every day, already knows how to play. So, he’s just learning and progressing as we go.”
And Ball is sure Miller’s repertoire meshes perfectly with the Hornets’ veteran contingent.
“He can cut, dunk, he can shoot,” Ball said. “He knows how to move off the ball. He just knows how to play, so it makes everything a little easier.”
School, though, is going to be constantly in session for Miller.
“I think it’s a learning thing,” Miller said. “I don’t believe in, ‘Just a rookie,’ that ‘He’s just a rookie stuff.’ I feel like everybody is the same, so it’s just a learning process in definitely a long season.”
This story was originally published October 11, 2023 at 6:00 AM.
