Brandon Miller on the upcoming season: ‘I think we’re going to be a playoff team’

The last time the Charlotte Hornets reached the playoffs was in the 2015-16 season. However, incoming second-year player Brandon Miller believes his squad will snap an eight-year playoff drought in the next campaign.

“I think we’re going to be a playoff team,” Miller told HoopsHype when asked what the “fair expectations” for the Hornets are for the 2024-25 season.

The 2015-16 Hornets were led by Kemba Walker, who averaged 20.9 points and 5.2 assists per game in that campaign and finished second in Most Improved Player voting. Helmed by former coach Steve Clifford, the squad was solid on both ends of the court then, as it ranked 11th in average scoring and ninth in average allowed points.

But after pushing the Miami Heat to seven games before losing in the first round, Charlotte couldn’t replicate its relatively successful season in the following years. It was a tad close to booking a trip to the 2019 postseason. However, the team finished ninth in the Eastern Conference, two games behind the No. 8-seeded Detroit Pistons.

Then, in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons, the Hornets secured berths in the play-in tournament before failing to advance to the playoffs.

There is some optimism in Charlotte this year, as the squad features a promising roster headlined by Miller, LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges. The franchise also brought in a new head coach in Charles Lee, who won championships as an assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021 and the Boston Celtics last season.

Miller, the franchise’s No. 2 pick in the 2023 draft, had an impressive rookie campaign. He put up 17.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists per contest and ranked third in Rookie of the Year voting behind Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren. However, he couldn’t establish chemistry with Ball, who suited up in just 22 matches last season due to a battle with a recurring ankle injury.

It remains to be seen if the 2022 All-Star can finally recover from his injuries, as the Hornets’ hopes of becoming a playoff team hinge on his availability. So far, the point guard has career averages of 20.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game but has played in at least 51 matches in a campaign just twice.

Miller’s development could also factor into Charlotte’s playoff aspirations, and his stint with the 2024 USA Basketball Men’s Select Team, which allowed him to compete with the nation’s representatives in the 2024 Olympics, should prove to be beneficial for the young swingman.