Brandon Miller Sees Hornets 'In the NBA Finals Next Year' After Being Drafted No. 2
Brandon Miller isn't looking to take a patient approach as he gets set for his rookie season in the NBA.
Speaking to Ashley Stroehlein of WCNC after being selected No. 2 overall in the 2023 NBA draft, Miller said his expectation is for the Charlotte Hornets to be "in the NBA Finals next year."
There are reasons to be optimistic about the future of the Hornets. In addition to bringing in Miller, Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall are taking over as governors after purchasing the franchise from Michael Jordan.
Jordan's tenure as governor was a mess from the time he joined the team as a minority owner in June 2006. Their draft history is ugly outside of Kemba Walker and LaMelo Ball. They've only made the playoffs three times, losing in the first round each time.
Even looking at things through rose-colored glasses, Miller's proclamation should be met with plenty of skepticism. The Hornets haven't made the playoffs since 2015-16. Their last playoff series win was during the 2001-02 season, which was also the final year for that version of the franchise before they moved to New Orleans.
The new Charlotte franchise returned to the NBA before the 2004-05 season when it was known as the Bobcats. The Hornets nickname returned to Charlotte starting in 2014-15 after New Orleans adopted Pelicans as its nickname.
The Hornets' 27-55 record in 2022-23 was the second-worst mark in the Eastern Conference. This franchise has never made it past the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The Los Angeles Lakers are the last team to reach the NBA Finals in the season after having a losing record. They went 37-45 in 2018-19 before acquiring Anthony Davis to play alongside LeBron James.
While Miller and Ball are very talented players, they have a lot of work to do if they want to be thought of as a duo on the same level as James and Davis when they led the Lakers to a title during the 2019-20 season.
