Pros and cons of Charlotte Hornets taking Brandon Miller of Alabama basketball in 2023 NBA Draft
Alabama basketball's Brandon Miller was selected by the Charlotte Hornets in the first round of the 2023 NBA Draft on Thursday in New York City.
Miller was the No. 2 overall pick. That's the highest a player has been selected from Alabama during the Nate Oats era and the first Alabama player selected in the top five since Antonio McDyess in 1995, who was also selected No. 2 overall. Miller's selection ties McDyess for the highest in program history.
"When I found out, probably at least two seconds before they called me name, it's exciting," Miller said in Brooklyn. "It's a dream come true. I've always dreamed to walk across the stage and shake their hand and take the pictures that we did. It's just all a dream come true. Just ready to get to Charlotte."
This marks the fourth consecutive year Alabama has had at least one player drafted. JD Davison (2022), Joshua Primo (2021), Herb Jones (2021) and Kira Lewis Jr. (2020) were previous Crimson Tide players who have heard their names called.
Miller heads to the NBA after putting together a historic freshman season. The 6-foot-9, 200-pounder from Antioch, Tennessee, was named SEC Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year and SEC Tournament MVP. No other player in the conference has ever accomplished all three. Miller finished the season with 696 points, a record for an Alabama freshman.
Here's what Miller will bring to his new team.
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The pros
From the beginning, it was clear Miller would be a one-and-done prospect. He was that good.
There isn't much he can't do. With his long frame and elite offensive ability, Miller quickly made an impact on college basketball.
His shooting ability is among his best traits. Miller finished the season shooting 43% from the field and 38.4% from 3-point range while starting all 37 games. Miller also finished 85.9% from the free-throw line. Miller had 14 games where he scored 20 or more points; in four of those games, he tallied 30 or more points.
Miller is a threat every time he has the basketball, and that translated to him being the main catalyst for an offense that won the SEC and earned the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The cons
Miller doesn't have any glaring issues, but there are areas of his game on which he will want to continue to work.
He will need to continue to improve his defense to eliminate any moments of getting lost on that end of the floor, particularly off the ball. Miller also has room to grow in how he finishes near the rim offensively.
Overall, these are relatively minor for a player who has a lot going for him.
Final thoughts
Miller straight-up dominated many nights for Alabama. He will go down as one of the best to ever play for the Crimson Tide.
Matthew Allibone of the USA TODAY Network contributed to this report.
Nick Kelly covers Alabama football and men's basketball for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at nkelly@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter: @_NickKelly
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Charlotte Hornets pick Alabama basketball's Brandon Miller in 2023 NBA Draft
