Miller struggles in first game.
The Charlotte Hornets lost 77-98 to the San Antonio Spurs in the 2023 California Classic Summer League on Thursday (April 4) at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
The two teams held the No. 1 and No. 2 picks in the 2023 draft, respectively. The highly-touted No. 1 pick, Victor Wembanyama, sat out the game, but Miller, the No. 2 pick, was in the lineup.
Miller was the last rookie Michael Jordan drafted in Charlotte. Jordan, who recently decided to sell his stake in the team and step down as Charlotte’s owner, will reportedly run the organization until the summer free agency period. Rod Boone, a reporter with knowledge of the Charlotte organization, also reported that Jordan had the final say on the rookie’s designation.
Miller, a University of Alabama product, was in a tight race with guard prospect Scott Henderson for Charlotte’s second pick. Jordan reportedly watched both players play in person, and Miller made a good impression in the process.
After much deliberation, Jordan’s decision for Charlotte was Miller, who is older (2002) than Henderson (2004). While Henderson was rated higher in terms of potential and could easily be a No. 1 pick in another draft, the team’s positional balance tipped the scales in Miller’s favor.
With his excellent shooting and defensive potential, Miller has been compared to the likes of Paul George and Danny Granger. Charlotte fans wanted him to break the nightmare of the numerous draft busts the organization suffered under Jordan, who is often referred to as the Emperor of Basketball, but who often kept his head down when it came to drafting the team’s future 메이저놀이터추천.
“Charlotte is going to the Finals next season,” the confident Miller said in a post-draft interview. However, Miller got a taste of the bitterness of the pros in his first Summer League game. Charlotte fell behind early and never recovered in a blowout loss to San Antonio.
After a shaky start that saw him commit turnover after turnover, Miller struggled from the field and was unable to capitalize on his shooting ability. His attempts to attack the rim were also unsuccessful. Miller’s poor shooting allowed Charlotte to fall behind by more than 20 points in the first half.
The only saving grace was that Miller found his groove in the fourth quarter, when the game was completely out of reach. After missing six of his first seven shots, he picked up the pace, hitting three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter alone. She then drove to the basket and converted an end-one play. Miller’s final line in his first Summer League game was 18 points, five rebounds, three assists, and six turnovers.
Despite reaching the 18-point plateau in the final minutes, it was clearly not a satisfying game for Miller. He committed six turnovers in a chaotic situation and didn’t perform as well as expected on defense. Despite Summer League being a relaxed foul limit, he totaled seven fouls, the most of any player on either team.
With the loss, Charlotte will look to get their first win against Golden State on Saturday. After a bitter first game, will Miller be able to put together a better performance next time out?