This is the second part of our 2026 series looking at players who are prime candidates for rookie contract extensions. This series will explore a player’s strengths and weaknesses and evaluate what a fair deal might look like between a player and his team.
Background
After one season in college at Alabama, Brandon Miller was elected Art Hornets with the second overall pick in the 2023 draft. He earned multiple accolades for a strong freshman season with the Crimson Tide in which he averaged 18.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.9 blocks on .430/.384/.859 shooting while not missing a game (37 appearances; 32.6 minutes per game).
During his debut NBA season (2023/24), Miller showed that his game transfers well to the pros. In 74 games as a rookie (32.2 mpg), the 6’7″ small forward averaged 17.3 ppg, 4.3 ppg, 2.4 ppg, 0.9 rpg and 0.6 rpg on .440/.373/.827 shooting. He finished third in Rookie of the Year voting behind the winner Victor Wembanyama and second place Chet Holmgrenwho was absent for the entire ’22/23 campaign due to a foot injury.
While Miller continued to show promise in year two, increasing his scoring stats across the board (21.0 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 3.6 APG, 1.1 SPG and 0.7 BPG in 34.2 MPG), his offensive efficiency dipped slightly (.403/.355/.861 shooting). More importantly, his second season was marred by a torn apart scaphalonate connection in his right wrist, an injury that required season-ending surgery in January 2025.
“Playing (27) games, that was the hardest thing in my career right there,” Miller said in July 2025, when he estimated his wrist was 90-95% healed. “Just watching basketball all season long. My goal is always to play every game and play 110% every game.”
Miller, who is a right-hander, was available for Charlotte’s regular season opener last October, posting 25 points and seven assists in a blowout win over Brooklyn. But he was injured in his left shoulder — a shoulder dislocationor partial dislocation — in the second quarter of the team’s second game of the season.
That shoulder injury caused Miller to miss the next one 13 contests before he returned to action in late November. However, he managed to survive the illness until the end of the 2025/26 season, missing only four additional games and making 65 appearances in the regular season.
Last season, Miller averaged 20.2 MPG, 4.9 RPG, 3.3 APG, 1.0 SPG and 0.7 BPG on .435/.383/.892 shooting with 30.3 MPG, improving his efficiency and minute-by-minute stats.
While the Hornets struggled in Miller’s first two seasons, going just 21-61 and 19-63, they posted a winning record (44-38) in 2025/26 and made the playoffs, where they won their first game in overtime against Miami before being swept by Orlando in the race for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Miller underwent surgery to address lingering left shoulder instability in May. He said he had not yet been cleared for full basketball activity at the end of August, but told the media on Monday that he had been doing full contact work for the past three weeks, for Mack Baltz of Rookie Wireand Head of Basketball Operations Jeff Peterson said Miller will be fully ready for training camp.
“Brandon has been amazing this summer. He’s been working well in the gym, on the court – love the progress he’s making” Peterson said.He is now expected to be a full member. We will continue to monitor him throughout camp, but are very excited for him.
“Of course, he missed the previous summer as well, but he’s proud that he didn’t let that stop him. He put in a ton of work, so glad to see him go.”
Miller is up to 210 pounds after weighing 200 last season, Baltes notes.
Strengths
