Watch: Brandon Miller drops a quick no-look pass to Gordon Hayward for an easy bucket
Brandon Miller has been struggling to find his rhythm in the NBA but the former Alabama Crimson Tide has indeed shown flashes of his potential in his first few games in the NBA. As the Charlotte Hornets battle the Washington Wizards, the 20-year-old rookie is also showcasing his passing skills outside of his ability to put the ball inside the basket.
At the 4:28 mark of the first quarter, the Hornets were down early by eight points. On the offensive end, Miller was finding his way to break the Wizards' defense and was able to spot Gordon Hayward cutting under the basket.
Having Kyle Kuzma in front of him after leaving Corey Kispert on the switch, Miller had a quick one-handed underhand pass finding Gordon Hayward for the reverse lay-up. Jordan Poole was right behind Hayward but was too late to settle on defense and gave him a bad foul.
At the end of the first half, Brandon Miller has six points, two rebounds, two assists and one steal while Gordon Hayward has 10 points, six assists, two rebounds and a block. The Hornets are still trailing the Wizards by six points, 57-63.
Brandon Miller places fourth in the NBA rookie ladder
Selected as the No. 2 pick behind Victor Wembanyama, there are many expectations for the 6-foot-7 swingman. So far in the first seven games of the season, he has averaged 13.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 31 minutes of playing time.
These numbers are considered subpar as compared to what Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren are doing but those close to Miller at the Hornets' camp, know his potential and are just focused on growing him in the NBA style of gameplay:
"Brandon Miller, you show him something in the afternoon and he can do it tonight. He has a super high IQ, and it comes easy to him. He sees what has to happen, whether it's a technique thing on defense or you change something, and you don't teach that. You don't teach that, any of that. He learns quickly," said Hornets head coach Steve Clifford.
His best game so far is when he had 22 points, nine rebounds, two assists and one block against the Brooklyn Nets on Oct. 30.
In the most recent rookie ladder, Brandon Miller is still fairly at No. 4 behind Pistons' Ausar Thompson. This is still a fair expectation since Holmgren was not really drafted in 2023.
Other players that are under the rookie ladder from fifth to 10th are Derek Lively II, Jordan Hawkins, Scoot Henderson, Marcus Sasser, Julian Strawther and Cason Wallace.