Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller rose 30 spots on ESPN's top 100 NBA players list.
Not only did Charlotte Hornets small forward Brandon Miller make ESPN's top 100 NBA players list again, but he also rose 30 spots.
Miller was ranked No. 76 last season. He's ranked No. 46 for the upcoming season.
Miller is one spot ahead of Derrick White of the Boston Celtics and one spot behind Franz Wagner of the Orlando Magic.
Miller appeared in 65 games for the Hornets last season, his third year in the NBA. He averaged 20.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game while shooting 43.5% from the field, 38.3% from beyond the arc and 89.2% from the free-throw line.
Charlotte traded LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges this offseason, so Miller's usage rate will be high next season.
Miller had surgery in May to address left shoulder instability. The Alabama product has been working hard this offseason in his rehab and is feeling better day by day.
Miller spoke about his health during an interview with Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer.
“It was good, it was a short surgery — I don’t remember much,” Miller said. “It goes a long way. I think with this process you always want your body 100%. When you go through a season not feeling 100% sometimes you’ve got to have a mindset getting through knick-knack injuries or whatever you want to call it. It’s just having a mindset.
“It’s going good, going good. I’m getting stronger. That’s all I can ask for. The stronger I get, the more mobile I am with the shoulder and that is the most important thing.”
The Hornets open the 2026-27 season on the road against the Brooklyn Nets.
The home opener is against the Atlanta Hawks.
“Do I know if we are going to be good or great?” Miller said. “I know we are going to be a hard-working team. It’s not about who makes the most shots. It’s about who can play consistently at 110% every night. I think that’s one thing we are going to take pride in.”
Charlotte will start Coby White, Miller, Kon Knueppel, Naz Reid and Moussa Diabaté next season.
That's a strong starting five on paper for head coach Charles Lee, who is looking to lead the Hornets franchise to the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
Miller enters this upcoming season with career averages of 19.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. He was the second overall pick in the 2023 draft.
According to NBA insider Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, the Hornets could sign Miller to a $208 million rookie-scale extension.
If Charlotte and Miller don't agree to a rookie-scale extension for whatever reason, Miller will become a restricted free agent next offseason.
The Hornets never made the playoffs with Ball and Bridges leading the way. It's time to see if Miller and Knueppel can do what Ball and Bridges failed to accomplish.
