Brandon Miller's Leadership Continues to Be Big for Hornets

The second-year star has already matured a lot.

The story for the Charlotte Hornets lately has unfortunately revolved around a central theme all too familiar to those who have followed the team in recent years: injuries. The Hornets have experienced some of the most unfortunate injury luck of any team in the association over the course of the last three seasons.

While this kind of circumstance could feel like a knockout punch to some, Charles Lee spoke recently about how Charlotte has done a good job of recognizing their circumstances, but then responding to them. It can be a natural instinct for many of us to get down on ourselves when difficult situations arise, but Lee and the rest of the Hornets’ locker room know that moving forward and making sure everything becomes a learning experience is the only real option in life, not even just in basketball.

One of the central reasons the Hornets have been able to remain competitive and continue to grow in spite of their circumstances is Brandon Miller. We all saw the kind of talent Miller displayed during his All-Rookie season last year, but it is how he has continued to evolve that is helping push the envelope for Charlotte right now.

With the likes of LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges being out of the rotation due to injury lately, it has been a big opportunity for Brandon to step up in the interim. That is exactly what he has done, in more ways than one. On the court, Miller has been one of the focal points of the Hornets’ offense, and opposing defenses have been keying in on him in a big way.

That is not something he is new to. Last year, with LaMelo injured, Miller was one of the two top scoring options for the second half of Charlotte’s season, alongside Bridges. Now, as Miles also sits due to injury, Brandon has become the top option on that side of the ball for the time being.

“I think that he’s had to shoulder a bigger responsibility with a lot of the injuries going on right now,” said Charles Lee at Friday’s practice. “And you can see that teams are throwing multiple high-quality defenders at him, they’re bringing an extra level of physicality, they’re showing different coverages, they’re showing him sometimes, they’re blitzing him sometimes. And so he’s handled it well.”

Miller is embracing a bigger role on and off-court

But as impressive as Miller has been at handling a big role in leading the offense recently, the way he has grown in his off-court leadership abilities has arguably been just as impactful. Lee noted that he believes this became an even bigger opportunity with some of the team’s injuries, and said he is proud of Brandon for rising to the challenge.

“Brandon is an ultra competitor,” said Lee. “Sometimes when you are so competitive, you can get a little bit locked in on tunnel vision. On like, what is the mission, what is the goal. And I think for him this year, he is being a competitor while also trying to bring his teammates along with him. And so part of that growth is I think taking off even without having some of the Miles’ and Melo’s not on the court, where he has to do it at an even higher level. So, just really proud of him for embracing another challenge and another growth opportunity.”

Lee noted after the Hornets’ practice on Friday that he has seen Miller’s overall leadership and demeanor improve game by game, noting his significant growth in maturity already. When asked about how important stepping into that leadership role is, Brandon emphasized Charlotte’s total team mentality and overall togetherness.

“Being a young leader, everybody listens around here,” said Miller. “I think everybody’s a leader in their own way. Everybody talks to each other like a great teammate, we know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. It’s going to go a long way with bonds like this.”

There are few things Hornets fans would be happier to hear than this. Charles Lee has noted the importance of unity and of being obsessed with daily improvement since his arrival, and Miller’s words make it clear that the locker room has not only embraced Brandon as a leader, but remains committed to the larger goal of taking the right steps to success.

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