CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Charlotte Hornets selected Alabama’s Brandon Miller with the No. 2 pick in the NBA draft, giving them an athletic 6-foot-9 wing with a smooth shooting stroke who can knock down shots from the perimeter.
The Hornets chose Miller, the Southeastern Conference’s player of the year as a freshman, over NBA G League Ignite star Scoot Henderson despite some potential character questions.
Miller is tied to a case that led to former Crimson Tide player Darius Miles and another man being indicted on capital murder charges. A police investigator testified in February that Miles texted Miller to bring him his gun that night. Miller hasn’t been charged with wrongdoing, though the ongoing case brought intense scrutiny during the second half of the season for Miller and the Alabama program.
The Hornets targeted just two players leading up to the draft, and general manager Mitch Kupchak said the team would take the best player available instead of selecting for need.
Still, Miller appears to be a much better immediate fit for Charlotte given the current makeup of the roster.
Veteran wing Gordon Hayward, who has struggled with injury issues, is in the final year of his contract with the Hornets and the team hasn't made a decision on whether to re-sign restricted free agent Miles Bridges, who missed all last season while dealing with a domestic violence case. Bridges will serve a 10-game suspension to start the season after pleading no contest last November and being sentenced to serve three years of probation.
Henderson, on the other hand, would have joined a crowded backcourt that includes LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier.
The 20-year-old Miller is considered a much better shooter than Henderson, addressing an area of concern for Charlotte.
The Hornets finished 29th in the league last season on 3-pointers at 33%. Miller shot 38.4% from beyond the arc at Alabama. Henderson shot just 27.5% from deep last season for the Ignite, although the 3-point line is deeper in the G League.
Miller has top-notch athleticism and should be able to defend multiple positions in the NBA with his size.
Miller joins a Hornets team that hasn’t reached the postseason in an NBA-worst seven straight seasons and finished with the fourth-worst record in the league last season at 27-55. Charlotte managed to move up two spots in the lottery, barely missing out on the No. 1 pick and Victor Wembanyama.
The decision comes less than a week after six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan announced he is selling his majority stake in the franchise to an ownership group led by Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall.
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