Hornets Make Controversial Pick With Brandon Miller

The Charlotte Hornets go with Alabama’s Brandon Miller over G League Ignite’s Scoot Henderson, as there were mixed opinions about the selection. The 20-year-old has already faced the heat from his team’s fans, without even stepping on the court. Miller made a bold response to those that booed on draft night during an interview with a local Charlotte sports program.

“​​To the ones who are booing, I’ll just let you know we’re gonna get a lot of wins this year, definitely,” he told Charlotte Sports Live. “We’re gonna try to hold up that big trophy at the end. I’m just gonna have a lot of winners around me.”

Many were speculating on who Michael Jordan and the Hornets would prefer, the 6’9″ small forward/shooting guard or the 19-year-old 6’2″ point guard Henderson, who was drafted the pick after by the Portland Trail Blazers. Jordan was also in the news for other reasons, as he is selling his majority stake in the Hornets, but was still part of the off-season process for Charlotte (including the NBA Draft).

There was speculation on a potential heavy internal debate about the two, but Hornets general manager Mitch Kupchak stands by his and the team’s decision, saying there was “100 percent consensus” on the choice.

“Obviously, there were two players that were heavily considered for that position. Brandon was the favorite all along,” Kupchak said after their selection. “It wasn’t the easiest decision, but Brandon was our favorite all along. A lot of spirited discussions the last three or four days, which I welcome, and it’s good for the basketball department to discuss pros and cons.”

Miller and Henderson were brought back to Charlotte for a second round of workouts and interviews, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, before the franchise ultimately settled on the SEC’s Freshman and Player of the Year last season. Miller also won the SEC tournament’s MVP award and was named a second-team All-American.

“I know we are going to go in and have as much fun as we can in Charlotte,” Miller said, as he will try to turn around a Charlotte squad that went 27-55 last season.

Miller averaged 18.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists while shooting 43% from the field and 38% from 3-point range for the Crimson Tide. Pairing up with LaMelo Ball, who was the third overall pick in 2020, Miller projects as a shooting guard with P.J. Washington and Gordon Hayward.

“Melo is my guy,” Miller said. “I think with Melo, as good of a point guard as he is, I just kind of fill in the place [on the court]. And I know he is going to be the big brother for me away from home.”

Off the field, there is another issue with Miller, as his name surfaced in court testimony in the capital murder case of former Alabama player Darius Miles and another man, Michael Davis, who is charged in the fatal shooting of 23-year-old Jamea Harris on Jan. 15. According to a police officer involved in the case, he testified that “Miles texted Miller asking him to bring Miles’ gun in the early morning hours of the shooting.” Miller is not facing charges in the case and has been a cooperating witness, Alabama said, as Kupchak addressed the due diligence that went into their selection.

“Especially with a pick this high, this valuable, we do a lot of due diligence,” Kupchak said. “We contact a lot of people. In fact, [assistant GM Buzz Peterson] and I went to Alabama about two weeks ago. Over the course of the year, we did a lot of investigative intel, so to speak, whether it’s reading articles, you bump into people, you go to games, you watch body language on the court and then you talk to people, you bump into people.

“But with a pick this high, we did more due diligence than we normally would. And yeah, we’re comfortable.”

Miller, who spoke to reporters at last month’s NBA draft combine, said, “It’s all a lesson learned,” when talking about the message he hoped to convey to teams about the shooting,

“You always have to be aware of your surroundings and know what you’re surrounded by,” he said. “I feel like the night could’ve changed my career in less than a heartbeat. So always be aware of your surroundings.”

Miller has certainly found a way to keep his name in headlines before and after the draft, as he also made a few hot takes that have gone viral.