Where do Hornets stars Ball and Miller rank in ESPN’s top 25 players under 25?

LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller remain two of the NBA's youngest stars.

Nov 30, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller (24) shoots the ball against the Atlanta Hawks during the third quarter at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images / Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

LaMelo Ball, despite having been in the league for five seasons now, is only 23. The Charlotte Hornets have paired him with 22-year-old Brandon Miller, the second pick in last year's NBA Draft. They give the Hornets a talented and young nucleus to build around, but where do they rank among the NBA's best in their age range?

LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller rank well in ESPN Top 25 under 25

Among all NBA players aged 25 or younger, Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball both rank in the top 15. Miller comes in at 15th overall, just ahead of Zion Williamson and below Jalen Johnson and Cade Cunningham. Ball ranks a little higher at 12th, below Scottie Barnes and Alperen Sengun.

ESPN insider Tim Bontemps said Miller "could have won NBA Rookie of the Year with his play last season -- but had to compete with Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren, so instead finished a distant third. Still, the prototypically wing has followed up last season's performance by again shooting 36% from 3-point range on even higher volume, taking almost 10 treys per game," Bontemps continued. "To move up this list, Miller will need to evolve in the mold of the player he has styled his game after -- Philadelphia's Paul George-- and become a better playmaker (3.8 assists to 2.8 turnovers) and defender."

Kevin Pelton said of Ball, "It's still difficult to tell how well Ball's volume scoring will translate into team success. He has been more scorer than playmaker this season, putting up a career-high 31.1 PPG but averaging the fewest assists (6.9) since he became a full-time starter. As teammate Brandon Miller develops, Ball might strike more of the playmaking balance we saw in 2021-22, when he was selected as an All-Star at age 20 and the Hornets won their most games (43) since 2015-16."

So far, with a laundry list of injuries, Ball has had to do all the scoring, including 50 and 44-point outbursts this year. With Ball himself landing on the injury report for a couple of weeks, Miller has had to step up even more. When these two are both healthy, they give the Hornets a chance in any matchup, though the wins have been few and far between this year.

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