The Charlotte Hornets have signaled a massive shift toward postseason contention by acquiring dynamic scorer Coby White from the Chicago Bulls. In exchange, the Hornets sent fan-favorite Collin Sexton to Chicago. The Hornets are betting on the North Carolina native as they aim to end a decade-long playoff absence. By DIAMOND VENCES| ROD BOONE
Being on the floor during a fracas that bubbled over into the first row of the Spectrum Center stands turned out to be quite the memorable moment for Brandon Miller.
“Yeah, it was fun,” the Charlotte Hornets swingman quipped.
Just not much of a laughing matter.
But there have been plenty of good times of late for the Hornets. Although their nine-game winning streak came to an end Monday night courtesy of a 110-104 loss to the Detroit Pistons, things have turned around for the Hornets over the better part of the last month.
They’ve looked much better as a whole and are in the midst of their best stretch of the 2025-26 campaign. And if this keeps up, the Hornets have a legitimate chance to end the NBA’s longest current playoff drought, which is creeping in on a full decade. There’s a reason for the sudden shift.
“I think playing with confidence is the most important thing,” Miller said. “You’ve got this long season kind of hitting the halfway point, so just kind of keep pushing through and playing through our strengths. We’ve been executing in the game situations. It’s been really good for us lately. We want to continue to do that.
“All we can do is thank ourselves and tip our hats off to ourselves. Just kind of keep pushing forward and kind of keep building this thing.”
Charlotte Hornets guard Brandon Miller shows moose horns following a play by forward/center Moussa Diabate during action against the Philadelphia 76ers at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. The Hornets defeated the 76ers 130-93. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
The Charlotte Observer recently caught up with Miller to get his thoughts and what’s making his job easier, becoming more vocal, being counted on as a two-way player and more:
Roderick Boone: What’s worked so well for you where your game is just at the level it is right now?
Brandon Miller: I think it’s that confidence level. We’re playing really confidently. It’s kind of hard to stop a team when they are playing confident at a high level like this. So all we’ve got to do is just come in and do what we know what we have to do. Contribute at the highest level and just play with that confidence.
RB: When you have multiple players who go out there and get 20 points in a game, how does that make it difficult to stop you guys out there?
Charlotte Hornets guard Brandon Miller, left, and forward Miles Bridges, right, celebrate the team’s play during action against the Philadelphia 76ers at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
BM: It makes it easier for me, makes it easier for my job. So, having guys like that to contribute plays a big part. In a 48-minute game, 20 a game sounds like a lot to these guys, but this is kind of what they do. It’s what they do every day. It’s what they play for. The reason why they play is to win. So, I don’t think it’s all about the points. I think everybody makes the right plays when the time is needed.
RB: How is adding Coby White going to help things?
BM: He guards. We need him to do whatever we ask him to do and kind of do it at a high level. Whether he knows the plays or whatever he doesn’t know, we just ask him to go out there and play as hard as he can and just compete at the highest level.
RB: How much pride do you take in being a two-way player?
BM: Definitely (want to do) everything I can do to win a basketball game, whether that’s guarding the best player, guarding a player that can’t shoot or (has a) lower percentage, I take pride in that two-way mindset. It’s been going great this year. We get a lot of wins when everybody’s locked into that two-way mindset. So, just keep having that mindset.
RB: You had the game ball recently, earned player of the week honors on top of that. After the injury last season, how does that just feel for you, knowing that you can be the player you want to be?
BM: Definitely. I’ve been saying I took a long time away from basketball last year just to kind of see what everybody’s strengths are. That’s on the basketball court, off the court. And I think that’s helped us kind of bond everybody together to be even stronger while we’re on the court. So, tough talks, talks that most people don’t want to have with their friends, brothers, families, it’s like a natural conversation with us. Having talks like that is great for us in the season.
Brandon Miller of the Charlotte Hornets handles the ball against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center. Joshua Gateley Getty Images
RB: What about that? People on the outside don’t understand what it’s like to experience that.
BM: Yeah, exactly. That’s what the people on the outside don’t really talk about. But in our locker room, it’s closer than I feel like any other locker room. I don’t know what any other locker room has going on, but I can control what goes on in our locker room. It’s always good spirit, great vibes, brothers away from home. We see each other every day and hopefully will keep seeing each other every day.