Hornets' Brandon Miller Shut Down for Remainder of 2023 NBA Summer League

NBA fans will have to wait until the preseason to watch Brandon Miller play in another game.

The Charlotte Hornets announced Thursday that the Alabama product will not play for the rest of Summer League. That means each of the top three picks in the 2023 NBA draft are shut down for the remainder of Summer League, as Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs and Scoot Henderson of the Portland Trail Blazers have also been ruled out.

It was an up-and-down summer for Miller.

The Hornets' announcement noted he averaged 15.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game across the California Classic and Summer League, which are solid numbers.

However, there were clearly plenty of growing pains, including when he committed a combined 15 fouls in his first two games.

"The fouling is impossible to ignore, as some of Miller's fouls were downright head-scratching," Gilbert McGregor of Sporting News wrote. "At times, Miller fouled because he was out of position, and in others, he seemed to foul for the sake of fouling. In some cases, though, Miller's fouling was a product of effort and effort-related fouls are acceptable, especially given the learning curve in his first-ever games of professional basketball."

Yet he appeared to make some adjustments as he progressed and impressed during Tuesday's game against the Trail Blazers with 26 points, six rebounds, two assists, two blocks and three made three-pointers.

His size and shooting touch made him a matchup problem, and he showed flashes of the potential that convinced the Hornets to select him with the No. 2 overall pick.

They must have seen enough because they decided to stop risking injury by having him on the floor.

Miller will be under plenty of pressure as a rookie since Charlotte elected to draft him instead of Henderson. All of his successes and failures, at least in the early going, will be compared to his fellow rookie, especially if the Portland guard ends up becoming a franchise cornerstone.

For now, though, his in-game preparation in Summer League is over.