The moment he became the No. 2 overall pick by the Charlotte Hornets, Brandon Miller immediately became a top candidate to win Rookie of the Year. Paired with a gifted passer in LaMelo Ball, Miller appeared to land in a perfect scenario that would help him presumably receive plenty of scoring opportunities in his first year.
Well, Miller doesn’t get to play with any All-Stars like ball in the Las Vegas Summer League, so we’ll have to wait to see how smoothly he fits into the existing Charlotte offense. But thanks to his summer league debut, we can get an idea of how the former Alabama star’s skills are translating to the NBA so far.
Miller made his first appearance during Monday night’s highly anticipated matchup against the San Antonio Spurs’ summer league team. Unfortunately, No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama did not play. His debut is expected to come on July 7, which will also be against the Hornets.
But how did Miller do? Based on the title of this article, you can probably guess the rookie wasn’t at his best.
- Brandon Miller stats in Summer League debut: 18 PTS, 5 REB, 5 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK, 6 TO, 7 Fouls
Miller did what he does best, putting points on the board, chipping in 18 while shooting 5-of-11 from the floor. He even made 3-of-7 shots from distance, for a 42% clip. He had a few other really promising moments, showing his ability to put the ball on the floor and get to the rack.
But we also saw the 20-year-old’s youth by committing seven fouls. Remember, summer league play allows players to commit up to ten fouls before fouling out of the game. In addition to the foul trouble, Miller also turned the ball over six times.
Miller’s debut was far from perfect, and according to ESPN, he became the highest-drafted player since 2017 to commit at least six fouls and six turnovers in any summer league game. But some would have you believe Miller actually only committed five turnovers and five fouls. Is that much better? Not really.
Still, fans shouldn’t be concerned about one game, especially in summer league play for the newest addition to the Hornets. We frequently see players struggle early on as they transition to the pros, Miller’s debut isn’t all that different.