NBA Execs: Brandon Miller Heavy Favorite to Go No. 2 to Hornets over Scoot Henderson

French phenom Victor Wembanyama is a virtual lock to go first overall in the 2023 NBA draft, and a similar consensus is building around Alabama star Brandon Miller with the No. 2 pick.

"While there is a process that will need to play out over the next month, it was hard to find a single NBA executive at the draft combine who believed that G League Ignite guard Scoot Henderson will eventually rise into the No. 2 spot," ESPN's Jonathan Givony reported Tuesday.

Givony added "the door is still open for Henderson to blow Charlotte executives out of the water during his individual workout."

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman echoed that reporting:

"There is a current belief that members of Charlotte's front office think Miller can be a star. The idea that Scoot Henderson is the obvious Victor Wembanyama consolation prize has lost strength over the last few months. Some noted that people made up their minds on Henderson too early, especially after his big game against Victor Wembanyama in Las Vegas. Henderson, who missed time with injuries and wound up shutting down his season just over a week into March, shot 39.7 percent since January 8."

"Others suggested that teams may still have more confidence when evaluating Miller's success in a familiar NCAA setting, compared to Henderson's in a ball-dominant role and the G League's freer-flowing pace."

Miller's basketball skills aren't much in question. The SEC Player of the Year averaged 18.8 points and 8.2 rebounds and shot 38.4 percent from beyond the arc as a freshman with the Crimson Tide.

Miller's connection to the fatal shooting of Jamea Jonae Harris in January will be a consideration for the Hornets and every other NBA team. The 20-year-old hasn't been charged with a crime, though Givony reported some NBA executives "have privately expressed some concern regarding fallout that might still come in the form of a potential lawsuit or follow-up investigation with yet-to-be-released details."

Miller's agent, Wilmer Jackson, told Givony that the Hornets are planning to send their attorneys to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to examine the matter for themselves.

Multiple NBA executives told The Athletic's David Aldridge that they didn't think the shooting was likely to affect Miller's draft stock. Givony and Wasserman's reports seemingly back up that belief.