The Charlotte Hornets opened the 2025-26 season on Wednesday night with a 136-117 win against the Brooklyn Nets at Spectrum Center. By Shane Connuck
In a “what-have-you-done-for-me-lately” world, the memory of how terrific Charlotte Hornets guard Brandon Miller can be was getting a little cloudy.
Miller, after all, hadn’t played a real NBA game in nine months until Wednesday. He missed 55 of 82 games last season due to a serious wrist injury, and without him the Hornets plummeted to their usual depths of irrelevance.
But Miller was back Wednesday in the Hornets’ 136-117 season-opening win over the Brooklyn Nets at Charlotte’s Spectrum Center — rising, soaring and dunking the ball with acrobatic impunity. He finished with a game-high 25 points for a team that set a franchise record with nine players — nine! — in double figures.
“Man, I can’t even explain how much fun that was,” Miller said afterward.
When I asked Miller about his favorite moments of the first game, I expected him to tell me about his multiple highlight-film dunks. Again, I had sort of forgotten what is most important to Miller on the court. He hadn’t.
“I think the best moments were us getting dialed in on the defensive side,” he said, “and getting the stops we needed.”
Charlotte Hornets guard Brandon Miller blocks the shot of a Brooklyn Nets opponent on a drive to the basket on Wednesday in the team’s season opener. The Hornets defeated the Brooklyn Nets 136-117. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
There you go. That’s what the Hornets want and need from Miller, a two-way player who can lead both offensively and defensively. He knows that one 19-point win over a Brooklyn team that is expected to be among the worst squads in the league doesn’t really tell us much about the Hornets in an 82-game season.
But it’s certainly a good start, and it’s no accident that the Hornets had Miller address the sellout crowd of 19,516 in the pregame in the same way that Kemba Walker so often used to do before Game 1. in Charlotte They need Miller to lead, but of course you can only truly lead in the NBA when you’re on the floor.
This is poised to be a breakout season for Miller — perhaps even an all-star type of season — as long as he stays healthy. He’s driving the ball more, not as reliant on his jumper. He got to the free-throw line 10 times Wednesday night, which helped make up for the fact he only went 2-for-9 from 3-point range.
“No nerves,” Miller said of his first game since Jan. 15, 2025. “I think this is what we work to do. ... Just blessed to be back playing with my teammates.”
Hornets coach Charles Lee knows how different Charlotte is when Miller is on the court as compared to when he isn’t.
Charlotte Hornets guard Brandon Miller throws down a one-handed dunk during action against the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night at Spectrum Center. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
“He adds an extra punch to our team,” Lee said. “Melo (LaMelo Ball) gets it going. Miles (Bridges) gets it going. Now you throw Brandon into the mix, and he’s going to be an elite two-way player for us. ... He just brings another element. Another pop. You can see him on some of those drives — he’s finally getting his game legs under him, and he’s got that extra burst and ability to finish off the break with his great athleticism.”
Now beating the Nets isn’t exactly like beating Oklahoma City. Brooklyn’s over-under this season is 19.5 wins in an 82-game year, which is pretty horrible. Then again, the Hornets only won 19 games themselves last season.
So for the first night of the “new” Spectrum Center, which has undergone a $245-million remodeling as it celebrates its 20th birthday, all was right in the Hornets’ world. Rookie starters Kon Knueppel and Ryan Kalkbrenner both played well. Bridges and Ball — the two other members of Charlotte’s Big Three along with Miller — piled up stats. Every Charlotte starter scored in double figures and so did four players off the bench.
As for Miller, he pronounced that he had “no pain tonight” after the game, but that he was about to hit the cold tub just to be safe.
It’s always dangerous to think too much of the Hornets when they win their season opener. That’s been fool’s gold many times before. But this Hornets team — it has a chance. And it will be a much better chance if Miller stays on the court.
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