The Charlotte Hornets announced some tough news on Thursday afternoon that their forward Brandon Miller, that is in his second year in the league, will be on the shelf for the rest of the season with a torn scapholunate ligament in his right wrist. Miller underwent surgery to repair the torn ligament, an injury that has already cost him the last three games.
The surgery this week was performed by well-respected Dr. Michelle Carlson at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, the team said.
It is a devastating blow to the Hornets and Millers growth and development. They have dealt with a deluge of injuries this season. Miller now joins Grant Williams who is also out for the season with a torn ACL.
Miller was putting together a solid season prior to the setback, averaging 21 points, nearly five rebounds and 3.6 assists. He showed drastic improvement from his rookie campaign a year ago, where he finished third in Rookie of the Year voting.
Miller’s injury could not have come at a worse time, as the Hornets appeared to be finding their groove with a recent 3-game winning streak and being victorious in four of their last six games. With their superstar LaMelo Ball recently returning from injury, it felt like things were moving in a positive direction for the Hornets, but this latest news certainly puts a damper on things.
Embed from Getty ImagesWhen Miller and Ball were healthy and on the court together, they did some damage. The Hornets had a 116.1 offensive rating, that is a +7.9 difference compared to what the team averages on the season. The problem is that they have only played 20 games together this season, which is part of the reason why the Hornets have only won 11 games to this point.
With Miller done for the season, the Hornets are now between a rock and a hard place at the midway point with the trade deadline just two weeks away. Playoff expectations are slim to none, though only six games separate them and the 10th-placed Chicago Bulls for the final play-in spot. But even if Charlotte were to climb up in the standings, would it be worth it? They may not reach the Washington Wizards embarrassing level of losing this season to land the prize pick out of Duke, Cooper Flagg, but there are some quality players to be selected at the top of the draft order. This may be the thing that pushes the Hornets into the direction of full-on tank mode with half of the season gone by the wayside. They have stockpiled some players who could be seen as valuable on the trade market, and they already pulled the trigger on one move, sending Nick Richards to the Phoenix Suns for Josh Okogie and some second-round picks.
Miller’s injury is incredibly sour news, but it might give the Hornets a clear picture on how to go about the rest of the season.
