Apr 3, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Scoot Henderson (00) drives to the basket against Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller (24) during the first quarter at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Where would the Hornets be if they'd picked Scoot Henderson over Brandon Miller?

Originally posted on Charlotte Hornets on SI
By Zach Roberts | Last updated Aug 27, 2025 11:26 AM ET

It might not seem like it now, but there was genuine debate between Scoot Henderson and Brandon Miller in 2023. Behind Victor Wembanyama, the Charlotte Hornets didn't have a consensus number two prospect, and both were seemingly in play for the Hornets. They ultimately made the right choice in choosing Miller.

Henderson has shown flashes, but he's never really looked as good as Miller, who has future All-Star written all over him. It's clear that Miller didn't need as much time as Henderson seemingly does, so things could change in the future, but as of now, Charlotte made the smart choice. What if they hadn't?

What if the Hornets had picked Scoot Henderson?

The biggest driver of the Scoot Henderson to Charlotte train was LaMelo Ball's injury history. The Hornets needed a guard who could play for or beside Ball so that they had insurance for injury or a trade. They opted not to pursue that, though.

They would be in a much worse spot if they had. Ball has not been healthy, but he's made it clear he wants to stay and should not be traded, so Henderson would have a smaller role than Brandon Miller does.

Henderson is also just not as good. The Hornets don't have a great roster, but it is almost universally accepted that they do have the running mate for Ball. It's Ball and Miller as the centerpieces, and everything else is complimentary.

It's why they passed on some high-ceiling prospects in 2025 despite having the chance to get someone like that with the fourth overall pick. Replace Miller with Henderson, and Charlotte probably passes on Kon Knueppel.

Knueppel was the right pick since he fits in between and alongside both Ball and Miller, but he would not have been as good a pick without Miller. The Hornets would've needed to take a bigger swing (an inherently more risky one, too) on someone like Ace Bailey or Tre Johnson instead.

The trio of Ball, Miller, and Knueppel is a pretty solid core to build around. A trio of Ball, Henderson, and Bailey is a little less exciting, and it would indicate that (with Bailey and Henderson probably needing development time) the Hornets are nowhere close to contention.

That could have put their trajectory beyond Ball's prime years, which might've influenced the front office to consider trades for their star point guard. Everything changed on draft night in 2023, and it seems to have changed for the better.