Dec 16, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller (24) signals for someone to help him up after a fall during the second half against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images

Brandon Miller opens up on return to new-look Hornets

Originally posted on Charlotte Hornets on SI
By Zach Roberts | Last updated Aug 6, 2025 8:24 AM ET

The Charlotte Hornets will have a ton of newcomers when the season begins. Kon Knueppel, Ryan Kalkbrenner, Mason Plumlee, Sion James, Liam McNeeley, Collin Sexton, and Pat Connaughton are all on board now but weren't last season.

The Hornets will also get Brandon Miller back. The guard was limited to just 27 games thanks to a wrist injury that kept him on the bench for the entire season after a January 15 outing against the Utah Jazz. That's one more piece coming onto a very different roster.

Brandon Miller returns
Kon Knueppel, Liam McNeeley, Sion James, and Ryan Kalkbrenner were drafted
Jusuf Nurkic was traded for Collin Sexton
Mark Williams was traded for Vasilije Micic and two first-round picks
Vasilije Micic was traded for Pat Connaughton
Spencer Dinwiddie and Mason Plumlee joined via free agency

That is a whole lot of offseason change. Miller doesn't envision any trouble fitting in with the new players, though. He said to Hornets on SI, "I think I mesh well with the roster. We are a hard-working group that will learn a lot from each other." The Hornets now have a deep mix of veterans and young players.

The guard will remain a starter alongside LaMelo Ball and probably Miles Bridges, but they'll be joined by two newcomers with Mark Williams gone and Josh Green likely supplanted and hurt either way, but that isn't something Miller is worried about.

The preseason is coming up soon after a blitz of an offseason, and Miller will eventually get back on an NBA court for the first time since that mid-January game. His main goal, he revealed, is to continue working this preseason to heal up fully and help the Hornets start winning some games, something that Charlotte hasn't experienced much of lately.

The injury bug bit hard last year. Miller missed a ton of time. Ball played fewer than 50 games. So did Williams. Bridges spent a little bit of time on the bench with an injury, too. Tre Mann missed virtually the entire season with a back injury. It was nightmarish for Charlotte, and it's something they'll want to avoid in the upcoming season.

Miller revealed that he and his teammates are "locked in" to avoid that happening again, adding that they're all "working hard on getting our bodies right." For the Hornets' success, that will be absolutely vital.