Source: Icon Sportswire / Getty
The Charlotte Hornets selected Brandon Miller with the number two pick of the 2023 NBA Draft on Thursday night.
The Hornets expect Miller to fill the wing void on the team and complement LaMelo Ball after a successful season at Alabama. The 6-9 former member of the Crimson Tide shot 38% from three in 37 games, averaging 18.8 points per contest, the most for an NCAA freshman. He finished 13th nationally with 106 three-pointers, the second most in a season in Alabama history.
“You have LaMelo Ball’s playmaking him being a playmaker and me being a shotmaker I think that kind of fits well,” Miller said to the Charlotte media after the pick.”[Also] The way we take pride on the defensive side I feel like we can really lock in and get the stops we need to win ballgames.”
While many believed the pick came down to a choice between Miller and former G-League Ignite player Scoot Henderson, Hornets General Manager Mitch Kupchak said they never wavered from their initial read on the selection.
“Brandon was our favorite all along,” said Kupchak. “You do your due diligence, it wasn’t the easiest of decisions. There was a lot of spirited discussion the last three or four days, which I welcomed. Our opinion from the beginning has not changed [but] it was a process.”
Miller’s off-the-court history has some concerned, however, because of an incident that took place during his time in college. Michael Lynn Davis & Miller’s college teammate, Darius Miles, allegedly conspired to murder an individual in Tuscaloosa in January. The alleged used a gun in Miller’s car, which he drove to the scene of the crime. MillerĀ denies any wrongdoing, and officials in Tuscaloosa did not charge him in the matter because he neither directly supplied the gun nor fired the weapon.
“With every pick especially with a pick this high. We do a lot of background work,” Kupchak said. “Over the year we do a lot investigative intel, so to speak, we’re comfortable with Brandon on and off the floor.”
When asked about the boos that rang through Spectrum Center during the pick selection, Kupchak responded, “I’m not aware of that.”
The newest Hornet will appear on the Mac & Bone Show Friday in the 7 AM hour on WFNZ and then will address the media at Spectrum Center at 2 PM.
Hornets Select Brandon Miller With Number Two Overall PickĀ was originally published on wfnz.com
