Every NBA franchise reaches a moment when its future becomes impossible to misread. Charlotte reached that moment the day LaMelo Ball was traded. The Brandon Miller era is no longer approaching—it has begun. Now comes the difficult part: proving he can carry the Hornets.
Before evaluating that, one important piece of context must be acknowledged. Miller spent last offseason recovering from a torn scapholunate ligament in his right wrist. He then suffered a shoulder subluxation early this past season and played through it for months before eventually having surgery. Two consecutive off-seasons lost to rehabilitation is not a small thing. Some of those injuries have directly compromised his physical development and strength work; that context matters when assessing where his game currently sits.
It’s Brandon Miller’s Team Now — But Can He Really Carry the Charlotte Hornets?
What Miller Already Does Well
Start with the strengths because they are genuinely impressive. Miller is a three-level scorer with elite movement shooting — he catches, rises and releases before most defenders even begin their closeout. His ability to function as both a cutter and a screener in off-ball actions gives Charlotte tremendous versatility in designing looks for him and for teammates simultaneously. His jump as a live-dribble passer and decision-maker this season was one of the most encouraging developments of Charlotte’s entire campaign. He does not just catch and shoot anymore. He processes reads and finds open teammates in ways he didn’t in Year 2.
Defensively, Miller graded in the 80th percentile by defensive estimated plus-minus — his best mark yet. He generates more shot blocks and makes more plays in the passing lanes than his slight frame suggests possible. He will be overtaxed defensively as the primary wing stopper next season, but he has consistently risen to that challenge rather than wilting under it. That toughness, quiet and unglamorous, is exactly the cultural identity Jeff Peterson was signaling when he made these trades.
The Concerns
The two most significant concerns are rim pressure and physicality — and they connect: he took just 17% of his shot attempts at the rim this season, ranking in the 15th percentile among wings. He clearly prefers shooting over defenders rather than finishing through them, and until he adds meaningful mass to his frame — which given his build may always be limited — that tendency is unlikely to change dramatically. The result is a 53.3% effective field goal percentage that ranks in the 47th percentile among players at his position. Good, but not franchise-player elite.
There is also a turnover concern that deserves attention. Miller posted a 12.9% turnover percentage this past season and committed 39 lost-ball turnovers — both numbers that are high for someone expected to handle top-usage minutes. When defenders pressure him early, he can get sped up and force passes before the play develops fully. His handle, while functional, is not tight enough to consistently protect the ball against NBA-level on-ball defense. As the primary option next season, he will face significantly more defensive attention than he ever has — and those turnover tendencies will be tested every night.
The Last Word
Miller and Kon Knueppel project as co-franchise players rather than a clear top-line star and his sidekick. Both rank somewhere in the top-40 to top-50 players in the NBA heading into next season — elite enough to build a competitive team around, but not yet the type of dominant No. 1 option that carries championship contenders through the toughest moments of a playoff series.
That honest assessment does not diminish what this era represents. Charlotte made a deliberate choice to build around a winner — someone who competed hard, played through injury, defended when it was hard and never used his circumstances as a reason to come off the court. That character, combined with genuine offensive versatility and improving defensive instincts, gives this franchise a foundation worth believing in. The ceiling of this team ultimately depends on Peterson finding a true playmaker to organize the offense around Miller and Knueppel — but the foundation they provide is real, durable and genuinely exciting.
Jim Dedmon, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
