Is it time to worry about Brandon Miller's slow start?

Matt Alquiza | Nov 18, 2024

Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

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Charlotte Hornets

Brandon Miller's potential is through the roof. The Charlotte Hornets sophomore swingman burst out of the gates as a rookie, flashing a polished offense game and defensive chops well beyond his age that coalesced into a package that many thought would blossom in year two alongside his All Star running mate LaMelo Ball.

It hasn't happened quite yet.

Miller has sputtered out of the gate in the early aughts of 2024-25. His per game averages of 15.3 points and 4.2 rebounds are down from his shockingly potent rookie year, but the efficiency numbers are even more worrisome. Through nine contests Miller is shooting 35.3% from the field, and only 30.6% from downtown, a stark downturn from 2023-24.

His shot diet has evolved tremendously. Miller shot 6.7 three-pointers per game as a rookie, a number that has skyrocketed to 9.4 a contest under Charles Lee's leadership. Charlotte's first-year head coach comes from the Joe Mazzulla school of pacing and spacing the floor to the Nth degree, which has pushed Miller's game further beyond the arc.

Charles Lee spoke in the offseason about changing Miller's shot diet, wanting his oversized wing to shoot more threes and less long twos, and that change has come to fruition. As a rookie, Brandon Miller took 39% of his shots from the mid-range area, an 88th percentile mark across the NBA (stats via Cleaning the Glass). That number has plummeted under Lee's tutelage, down to 24%, more in line with the league average.

In all, his shot attempts are up (14.6 per game as a rookie to 15.1 as a sophomore) and his three-point attempts are up, but the efficiency has suffered. With all of that being said, it is not time to panic.

Miller is mired in a shooting slump that he will break out of soon enough. Charles Lee's free-flowing, fast-paced offense has created oodles of open looks for Miller. He just isn't hitting them.

Chalk it up to early season struggles, discomfort in Lee's system, rust from his early-season glute injury, or a feeling out period as him and LaMelo Ball figure out how to play off of each other, these shooting woes will not be long-term.

Miller has the ability to score in bunches, and I believe that it will take one extended burner (like his third quarter against the Indiana Pacers a few weeks ago) for the stellar sophomore to find his form. He's too talented, too wiggly with the ball in his hand, too explosive attacking the rim, and too good of a shooter for this slump to be long-term.

In the words of New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers: R-E-L-A-X. Miller and Ball's games were handcrafted to deliver buckets in the same back court, and they will come, maybe as soon as Tuesday's contest in Brooklyn. The Nets sport the league's sixth worst defense (according to Net Rating); a prime opponent for Miller to regain his offensive form.

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