No. 2 pick sees game improve through extended Summer League

While other teams cut short the playing time of their top picks in NBA Summer League out of an abundance of caution, Charlotte took a different approach with No. 2 overall pick Brandon Miller.

The 6-foot-9-inch forward from Alabama played in five Summer League games, three in Las Vegas and both of the Hornets’ games in Sacramento that led up to the Vegas event.

The Hornets finally shut down Miller before their Summer League game Thursday. In his three games in Las Vegas, Miller averaged 17.3 points and 30.5 minutes played.

The reps paid off. Miller capped his Summer League showing Tuesday with his best offensive performance, a 26-point showing on a 53.3 percent shooting in a 97-93 loss to Portland.

Touted as a versatile defender out of Alabama, Miller’s development through an extended Summer League stay has pleased the Hornets’ staff.

“He was a little bit more forceful. Had a nice intent about what he wanted to do,” Hornets Summer League coach Marlon Garnett said of Miller’s play on offense after Tuesday’s game.

“I like the way (Miller) plays offensively,” Garnett added. “He stays within himself. He makes the right play. It was good to see him really look for his own shot and get going.”

Miller had a better ending to his Las Vegas Summer League than his finale in the California Classic in Sacramento, where he had six points and four turnovers, was called for eight fouls and attempted four shots in 28 minutes of play in a 98-83 loss to Golden State.

Miller’s aggressive nature on defense was on display in Vegas as well. He averaged just under five fouls a game throughout Summer League. But he said he’s feeling himself settle into an NBA offense.

“I’ve preached letting the game come to me,” Miller said. “I’ve been put in the right places to get off comfortable shots.”

Miller credited his experienced teammates for helping him find the confidence to challenge himself offensively to get better.

“It’s really just the bond we have as a team,” Miller said. “Just everybody builds each other’s confidence up, and we can have fun on the court.”

Miller has a familiar face joining him in Charlotte. He played with teammate Nick Smith Jr., a guard from Arkansas who was taken at No. 27 overall in this year’s draft, on Nike’s EYBL circuit for Brad Beal Elite.

As high schoolers, the duo shined at Nike’s Peach Jam tournament in the summer of 2021, with current Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal as their coach. Miller said he and Smith Jr. are “like brothers,” and having him on the court has helped with his sense of comfort.

“It helped us out a lot,” Smith Jr. said of the benefit of having chemistry with Miller. “He’s been there and seen me grind. I’ve seen him grind. It’s kind of surreal. It hasn’t really hit us yet (that we’re playing together). … That’s my guy. He’s a good dude, and I love being around him.”

Defensively, Miller said the biggest difference from college was the size and strength of the players he’s guarding. Miller said as he gets stronger and adjusts to defending NBA players, he believes “everything else in the game will come to me.”

Garnett believes that once Miller finds the right balance of being smart and aggressive on the defensive end, Miller can take his game to the next level.

“The tools that (Miller) has with his length, the way he moves his feet, I’m not concerned. He’s a good defender,” Garnett said. “He’s just needs a little bit of technique tweaks here and there. He’s going to be fine.”

Contact Alex Wright at awright@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlexWright1028 on Twitter.