Exclusive Q&A With Marlon Garnett: Part 1 - Brandon Miller & Nick Smith Jr

The 2023 Hornets Summer League Coach discusses why he thinks Charlotte hit a "Homerun" with the Brandon Miller pick and more.

Hornets Assistant and acting Summer League Head Coach Marlon Garnett spoke to James Plowright of AllHornets.com. In this multi part series Marlon discusses Charlotte’s incoming rookie class and the returning rostered players. In Part One, Marlon discusses what he saw from Charlotte’s most recent 1st round picks Brandon Miller and Nick Smith Jr.

On Brandon Miller…

JP You had a unique vantage point of the early stages of Brandon Miller's development. What is it about his upside that intrigues you most and where do you want to see improvement going forward?

MG His upside, I think he’s just a smart, very, very good IQ basketball player, and I said it a couple times in some of the interviews. I thought he was being unfairly criticized for not being forceful and taking a reigns in a sense. I don't think think that was the case.

I think he's just a basketball player that is smart out there. He's a good decision maker, so he's just reading the play and he's just basically playing, taking what the defense gives him.

JP I think it was that Warriors game where they doubled him off a lot, off pick and rolls and I think he finished with seven assists wasn’t it?

MG Yeah, there were some situations where schematically, I think Golden State crowded the side. I tried to put him in the open corner in the side pick and roll and to get a mismatch and let him post it. But they were shifting a low man over and he was making the right play. He wasn't forcing stuff, which I'm okay with. Yeah, I'm completely okay with that. In that same vein, Summer League as the number two pick is a platform where he can in certain situations increase his motor and look to be a little bit more aggressive.

He had a couple of games and some flashes where he did (Be more aggressive), and you got a chance to see the upside and what he's able to do. So I think we hit a home round with the pick and, I'm excited to see how he continues to improve and progresses here in the next month or so.

JP In terms of areas you think the coaching staff will be focusing on over the summer and in training camp for him to work and improve on, what are some of those things that stand out?

MG Well, we are still at the drawing board with that. We'll have our coaches and meetings in a couple weeks before we get started (For training camp). I think his versatility is going to help us. It's not going to pigeonhole him and make us feel like we have to play him at one position. He’s a basketball player, he has great size, has a lot intangibles to his game. The fact that he shoots it really well and his size is going to definitely help. When you add LaMelo, Gordon, Terry and Miles and some of the guys that he'll be on the floor with, it going to help our spacing and just add to another layer for us in a positive way.

On Nick Smith Jr…

JP Charlotte’s other 1st round pick (27th) Nick Smith Jr was tasked with the lead ball handling duties for the starting unit. He played at shooting guard for most of his time at college instead of point guard like in high school. How did you evaluate him taking on that challenge?

MG I think it was great for him to get those reps. To the point that you made, he probably wasn't as used to being the lead ball handler. For a kid that's gifted and skilled as a scorer, definitely with a score first mentality. I thought it was a great opportunity. He ended up playing four games just to help him to be able to hone into empowering his teammates and being able to be a decision maker out there as a playmaker as well as a scorer. So we were able to give him some opportunities to get some reps there. Obviously with his size, it'd be great for him to be able to function at both a point guard role as well as a scoring role, that opens up his opportunities and adds to his versatility.

I thought it was good for him to be a lead guy, whether he was used to it or not. I think he just continued to get better at it. Jury is still out as to what that looks like. So, It's definitely a focus that we would love to see him be able to improve upon, not only being a score first guy, but being a decision maker out there on the floor for us.

JP One thing that stood out to me watching his interviews and interaction with his teammates on the court was his maturity. Is that something that stood out to the staff as well?

MG That’s one of the things you really like about Nick. He's passionate and he has a care about it. And so I challenged him with that to empower his teammates, be a leader out there on the floor. It just shows he's being coachable, his ability to be able to improve in an area that maybe is uncomfortable for him. But the fact that, again, he's, he's a worker. He showed up every day when we had practice, the few practices that we're able to have. He’s not like a “I know it all” type of guy. He's trying to be a sponge and learn where he can, you appreciate that as a coach. Those are the guys that you get a care factor for, it's going to help him become the basketball player that he wants to be. I'm excited about having him around and working with him. 

Part Two and Three will be released on AllHornets.com shortly.

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