NBA
Brandon Miller after his Summer League debut with the Hornets: ‘I don’t like to lose’
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All posts by Antonio KozlowUpdated05 Jul 2023
Right after Charlotte lost 98-77 to the San Antonio Spurs this Monday, debutant Brandon Miller felt happy to live an experience outside the college basketball circuit, but couldn’t help but feel disappointed after suffering his first defeat wearing the Hornets jersey.
“It was a little frustrating because I don’t like to lose,” the rising star said postgame. “It was really fun out there seeing a different environment from the college experience. Fun. Just really out there having fun with my team.”
A lot has to change in the North Carolina club if Miller doesn’t want to get used to losing, as Charlotte ranked third-to-last in the 2022/23 NBA season, ending with a 27-55 record after 82 matches.
Take a look at some of his best highlights during his 18-point performance in the Summer League:
Even though his debut exhibition was a general positive display, Miller had a couple of lows as he got booed after missing some free throw and ended the contest with seven fouls to his name.
His father, on the other hand, couldn’t hold in his excitement for seeing his son wear an official NBA jersey. “What’s my pride level? Yeah. Oh man. What’s the highest number? Is it one through 10? No, I say it’s 11,” Darrell Miller told the press after the Hornets were beaten.
Brandon knows he’s always going to be able to count on his father. “That’s my dad since day one. He is always going to be with me. That is my security/dad. He is always going to be next to me wherever I go,” he said.
Miller, who averaged 18.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists a game during his single season at the University of Alabama, registered a stat line of 18 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and a block in this opening match.
Charlotte’s Summer League head coach Marlon Garnett declined to grade his player without watching the film first, but knows the youngster will only get better.
“His pace can be positive, but I want to see the motor come out of him a little bit. [Be] a little more aggressive,” he said.
His parents have supported him emotionally after the gun incident that involved the young star at the start of the year
It has been a strange journey for Miller so far, as he began the year being accused of playing a part in a murder case than occured in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Even though he wasn’t found guilty of any charges, fans from all over still feel he has blood on his hands.
Check out the 20-year-old’s first-ever bucket for the North Carolina franchise:
Brandon Miller’s first summer league bucket 🔥 (via @NBA)
— Overtime (@overtime) July 4, 2023
“It was really about talking about his well-being,” Darrell Miller said. “My wife is big on mental health. And it was about giving him the opportunity to talk about whatever he needed to talk about, and that was it. It was not about pushing the issue. It’s going to be talked about. People are going to bring it.
“There are going to be fans who tweet and they are going to have their opinion. You just got to focus on you and that’s it. That’s all.”
His father said it’s important for him to always “be there” for his son and his children.
