Brandon Miller impresses in first meeting against his 'GOAT’ Paul George

The Charlotte Hornets might have lost the game, but Brandon Miller certainly left an impression in his first opportunity to play against his “basketball GOAT.”

The rookie forward scored 22 points on 8/19 shooting and sank in 5 threes in the Hornets’ 118-130 loss against Paul George and the Los Angeles Clippers.

Miller missed the first Hornets-Clippers game earlier in the season due to an ankle injury, which Los Angeles also won, 113-104.

The 6-foot-9 Miller notably expressed his admiration for George’s game, noting how he regards George as his ‘role model’ and the player he studies and molds his game after.

In an interview with ESPN, Miller notes how George is the perfect archetype to study in today’s NBA with his size, speed, fluidity, smoothness, and two-play play on the court.

"Paul George is the best player in my eyes ... I don't really watch anybody else as far as trying to get their moves down. Paul George is my GOAT,” Miller said. “It's kind of how the league is built now: Paul George is the right person to study for this generation."

The sweet-shooting rookie out of Alabama witnessed firsthand how George operates, with the 6-foot-8 former Indiana Pacer and Oklahoma City Thunder carving up the Hornets’ defense to put up 41 points. George was ultra-efficient, going 14-21 from the field including 8/12 from the three-point area, and had an all-around game by adding 7 rebounds and 4 assists.

Miller did his best to impress George by scoring a few buckets over him and then expressed his admiration again for him after the game. The two swapped their jerseys afterward.

“When he’s on the court, he’s [George] a great shotmaker but not just that – he takes pride on the defensive side and that’s the one thing that stands out with him and in his career. That’s why my favorite player is Paul George.”