After a rough start, No. 2 overall pick Brandon Miller finally had a breakout performance in summer league play.
The 6-foot-9 forward scored 26 points as the Charlotte Hornets lost 97-93 to the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday in Las Vegas. He made 8 of 15 field goals and 7 of 7 free throws.
“I kind of let the game come to me,” Miller said. “I feel like I was put in the right places to get off comfortable shots.”
Miller was a first-team Associated Press All-American as a freshman at Alabama last season. He also is tied to a case that led to former Alabama 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, but the episode brought him unwanted attention.
The situation didn’t affect his draft stock. Some were surprised when he was picked ahead of Scoot Henderson at No. 2. Henderson went No. 3 to Portland.
Miller still needed to get comfortable at the professional level. He was up-and-down in the summer league in Sacramento. He scored 18 points against San Antonio on July 3, then scored just six points against the Golden State Warriors in 31 minutes on July 5.
In Las Vegas, he had had 16 points and 11 rebounds on July 7 against San Antonio but made just 5 of 15 shots. He followed that by scoring 10 points on 4-for-18 shooting in a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday before his strong performance on Tuesday.
Nick Smith Jr., Miller’s fellow first-round pick and former AAU teammate, scored 33 points for the Hornets against Portland. Smith said he and Miller have been helping each other adapt to pro ball.
“Just on the simple fact that he’s been there since,” Smith said. “He’s seen my grind, I’ve seen his grind, literally. It’s kind of surreal. It really hasn’t hit us yet, for real.”
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