The Charlotte Hornets selected Alabama standout Brandon Miller with the No. 2 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, which comes with a ton of expectations. Unfortunately, through two Summer League games, Miller has certainly not lived up to the hype.
Miller’s first game against the San Antonio Spurs on Monday was a mixed bag. He struggled early offensively, but ended up getting things together late in the game to finish with 18 points.
However, the most concerning part of his game was on the defensive end, committing six fouls in the first half of the game.
Hornets rookie Brandon Miller has five points, three rebounds, one block and six fouls at halftime vs Spurs in summer league action.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) July 4, 2023
In a regular NBA game, he would have fouled out of the game in the first half, but players are given ten fouls to play with in Summer League action.
This game was concerning, but it was only one game at the end of the day. Unfortunately, it appears to be a trend that Miller is unable to defend without fouling in Summer League play.
Miller and the Hornets took the floor against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday, and the foul bug bit him yet again in this game.
He finished the game with eight fouls, including six fouls occurring in the first half yet again. This time around, his offense did not show up, scoring only six points on only four shot attempts from the field.
Brandon Miller in his second Summer League game. pic.twitter.com/RC8vzLtKNY
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) July 6, 2023
There are seemingly some very severe growing pains that Miller is going through early on in Summer League, and many NBA fans are very worried about him.
Brandon Miller tonight:
6 Points
4 Turnovers
8 Fouls15 FOULS IN 2 GAMES…HE MUST THINK HE GOT DRAFTED TO THE NFL 🤯🤭🔥🏈 pic.twitter.com/Yva7WnPU1x
— Hater Central (@TheHateCentral) July 5, 2023
Brandon Miller has 15 fouls in two games 😬 pic.twitter.com/HOGzs4Ju2a
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) July 6, 2023
Brandon Miller first two Summer League games:
Game 1 — Game 2 —
18 PTS 6 PTS
5 REB 4 REB
3 AST 7 AST
6 TOV 4 TOV
7 PF 8 PFIt’s just Summer League. pic.twitter.com/evHrkeKrYR
— StatMuse (@statmuse) July 5, 2023
Brandon Miller’s first half:
0 points
5 assists
2 rebounds
6 fouls pic.twitter.com/tviFbR9Mp5— NBA Retweet (@RTNBA) July 5, 2023
There is still clearly plenty of time for Brandon Miller to get things figured out, but his early impressions in Summer League are undoubtedly troubling for Hornets fans.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.