CHARLOTTE — Three games into the 2023-24 season, the Charlotte Hornets have shown fans glimpses of both the old and the new.
A season-opening 116-110 home win over Atlanta on Oct. 25 was followed by back-to-back double-digit home losses to Detroit and Brooklyn.
While star point guard LaMelo Ball has made just 25% of his shots during the Hornets’ 1-2 start, there have been bright spots.
Rookie forward Brandon Miller and second-year center Mark Williams have thus far proven the high amount of draft capital used on them the past two years was worth it.
Miller has already solidified himself as a regular contributor coming off the bench, increasing his point total from 13 points to 17 to 22 in the first three games of his career. The No. 2 draft pick has already started to earn more playing time, logging 36 minutes Monday against the Nets, the second most of any Charlotte player after Terry Rozier’s 41.
“He can score in a lot of different ways,” Hornets coach Steve Clifford said of Miller after the Hornets’ 111-99 home loss to Detroit last Friday. “He also competes hard and plays well at both ends of the floor. He’s going to play big minutes. I don’t look at him when he’s out there as inexperienced or anything like that. He’s really good, and we’re lucky to have him. He’s going to be on the floor.”
It’s been quite some time since opposing NBA defenses have had to contain a Hornet coming off the bench, especially a rookie who has displayed maturity on both sides of the court.
“He’s been great,” Gordon Hayward said. “I feel like he’s gotten better each game, from that first preseason game to now, and I think he’ll only get better. Just because he’ll have these experiences and that will help him in his adjustment to this level. But he’s been really good defensively, he’s rebounding and starting the break for us when he’s knocking down shots. He just makes us so much more dynamic, so he’s looking really good.”
With Miller turning heads with his natural scoring ability and instincts, Williams has demonstrated that a reliable center who can get physical in the paint is crucial to the Hornets’ future success. It’s something that’s been missing in Charlotte, and Williams is starting to look like the player who can effectively fill that void.
Following a 13-point, 15-rebound performance in the opener, the former Duke star got into foul trouble against Detroit and was limited to just two points.
Williams responded with an 18-point, seven-rebound night against Brooklyn, making all eight of his shots, mostly in the form of a powerful dunk in a defender’s face.
Clifford said lingering offseason injuries to Ball (ankle) and Williams (thumb) have contributed to their up-and-down play in the season’s first week.
“They’ve only been cleared for 4½ to 5 weeks, and they’re behind these other guys,” he said. “The only way to do it is to let them play through, and obviously we need them both, so that’s what we’re going to do.”
While Ball and Williams find their footing, Charlotte has gotten scoring from other players.
Rozier, last season’s leading scorer, has picked up right where he left off, averaging 22 points and four rebounds in three games. PJ Washington has averaged 18 points and seven rebounds as he’s upped his shot volume.
Defensively, the Hornets have surrendered 110.5 points per game (14th in the NBA) — a statistic that increased after allowing 133 to the Nets — but Clifford said his team has impressed him overall.
“We just played two terrific defensive games, so it’s not like we haven’t been good on defense,” the coach said.
The Hornets have their first multigame road trip of the season starting Wednesday in Houston (Wednesday) before back-to-back games Saturday and Sunday in Indiana and Dallas.
