The NBA released its All Rookie teams today, and Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller made the first team.
The 2023-24 Kia NBA All-Rookie First Team!
Chet Holmgren
Jaime Jaquez Jr.
Brandon Miller
Brandin Podziemski
Victor Wembanyama @Kia | #NBAAwards pic.twitter.com/5e3QRWIqpy— NBA (@NBA) May 20, 2024
It’s not surprising that Miller made the first team. He finished third in Rookie of the Year voting and was the only player to steal a second place vote from Oklahoma City Thunder pseudo-rookie Chet Holmgren (Wemby got all the first place votes).
Miller finished the season at 17.7 points per game, which was second only to Wemby among rookies. He shot 44% from the field, 37% from three, and 82% from the free throw line, which are all very very strong numbers for a rookie tasked with creating a lot of his own shots and playing with a relatively high usage.
But perhaps most impressive at all, Miller was put on a team that was once again ravaged by injuries and woefully overmatched almost every time they stepped on the floor even with a decent amount of veteran talent. Despite that, he managed to help the team to a better net rating when he was on the floor compared to when he was off it. His on/off numbers were better than those of Cody Martin, Miles Bridges, and Terry Rozier.
Miller will have to adjust to a new coaching staff, but now he has a year of NBA experience under his belt to help him diagnose areas he needs to improve. We should see an even better version of Brandon next season. His first year returns suggest he has stardom in his future, and being named a first team all rookie is representative of that.
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