![]() ![]() Chauncey Billups, among others, has suggested that among the reasons the Pistons took Darko Milicic over Carmelo Anthony in ’03 was because Detroit already had Tayshaun Prince. In 2008, the Bucks, set at center, drafted Joe Alexander over Brook Lopez and Roy Hibbert. There’s a certain logic to drafting a player based on need. Ball was the Rookie of the Year in his first season, an All-Star his second and averaged a career-high 23.3 points in an injury-shortened third. But is the one that we feel would have the best NBA career as a Hornet.”īut do they? Do the Hornets believe Miller is the best player-or the best player to play alongside Ball? Three years ago Charlotte invested the third pick in the draft in Ball. And they both will probably go on to have long NBA careers. “We think he is the player that is the best player,” Kupchak said. 3, Portland would have eagerly snapped him up. He effortlessly makes plays off dribble handoffs and looks like a pro in pick-and-pops. Miller averaged 18.8 points in his lone year at Alabama. ![]() “Scoot and Wembanyama are the two guys I’d say can’t miss,” said another. “Franchise player,” texted one NBA talent evaluator. Those same decision makers marveled while Henderson racked up 28 points and nine assists in the same game. Last October, scouts drooled watching Wembanyama score 37 points in an exhibition game in Las Vegas. He averaged 16.5 points in his one season with the G-League Ignite, the in-between super team the NBA assembled for prospects who want to bypass college. But the ones I do talk to really liked Scoot. I don’t claim to have the deepest Rolodex of college scouts. “But Brandon was our favorite all along.” Brandon Miller will carry the weight of being Michael Jordan’s final lottery pick, in addition to all the other pressure he’ll be under to succeed in Charlotte. “It wasn’t the easiest of decisions,” said Hornets GM Mitch Kupchak. Days before the draft, Mitch Kupchak, the Hornets GM, revealed that Jordan, who recently agreed to sell his majority stake in the franchise, would make the final call. ![]() Henderson, a Russell Westbrook-like athlete with some Chris Paul-like craftiness. Miller, a lanky Paul George-type with an NBA-ready three-point shot. For weeks reporting had the Hornets deciding between Miller and Henderson. The real draft began minutes later, when Charlotte went on the clock. Within minutes, the Spurs blasted out a press release revealing Wembanyama’s jersey number. More than 12,000 fans packed into the AT&T Center to watch the draft on the JumboTron. There hasn’t been this kind of consensus for a top pick since LeBron James. But we knew Wembanyama was ticketed for San Antonio. He’s revealing his height to a group of elementary school kids one minute (7'3", per Wembanyama) and sharing a (pre-taped) meal with Robin Roberts the next. By Thursday, we had reached full Wembanyama saturation. On Monday, Wembanyama was an international man of mystery. Inside Barclays Center on Thursday, the night was all about Victor Wembanyama. NBA Draft Tracker: Instant Analysis, Grades for Every Pick In his final act as team owner, Michael Jordan, one of the worst talent evaluators in front office history, selected Brandon Miller over Scoot Henderson, a decision that set the franchise back for a generation. What’s possible, though, is that the ’23 draft will be remembered like this: In his final act as team owner, Michael Jordan, the NBA’s greatest player, boldly selected Brandon Miller, who alongside LaMelo Ball led Charlotte to its first NBA championship. Decades from now, the Hornets will hope their history reads something like this: ![]()
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