After months and months of speculation and debates, the 2023 NBA Draft has almost arrived. The projected lottery picks have traveled to New York to hear their names called by commissioner Adam Silver on Thursday night. The biggest remaining question: what will Charlotte do with the second pick?
Will the Hornets trade it? Or keep it and select Brandon Miller or Scoot Henderson?
Reasonable minds can disagree on what Charlotte should do -- but most indications are that the front office is leaning toward taking Miller after San Antonio picks French sensation Victor Wembanyama first overall. Miller is a 6-foot-9 wing who is the reigning CBS Sports National Freshman of the Year. He averaged 18.8 points and 8.2 rebounds this season while burying 38.4% of the 7.5 3-pointers he attempted per game. Put simply, he's a perimeter-oriented player with size who can really shoot it, the type all franchises are after these days.
Based on conversations I've had with people around the league, the role Miller played in a series of events in January that led to the shooting death of a 23-year-old woman named Jamea Harris — according to police, Miller brought the gun that was used to kill Harris to the scene of the incident — has been thoroughly vetted, and the prevailing thought seems to be that it's not a reason to pass on a talent this immense. Front offices are mostly labeling it as a poor decision made by a young person as opposed to a reflection of Miller's character, and nearly everything I've heard about him suggests that's probably the proper way to view it.
