Third from the bottom in the East, the Charlotte Hornets have once again "created" such an embarrassing result this season, and this is another poor performance that the Hornets have suffered in years of continuous rebuilding. After Jordan sold his stake in the Hornets, many people deepened their disappointment with the team, and the Hornets management was naturally not satisfied with the current situation of the team, and the direction of the team's future development is likely to change.
In the hearts of the Hornets management, the "three-goal" LaMelo Ball has been the core of the team's rebuild, and under his leadership, the Hornets have also played well for a while, and the Hornets are willing to build a new rotation system around Ball. But apart from leading the team to a 9th place finish in the East, Ball has never been able to lead the Hornets to the next level, and if the Hornets still can't touch the playoff threshold, then they can't see any hope of rebuilding.
In terms of ability, Ball is not a talented player. Ball's passing is elusive, but the real utility is not high, and once the opponent presses more, then Ball's pass error rate will increase. Compared to passing, Ball's individual scoring ability has not been developed, except for breakthroughs, Ball cannot guarantee outside shooting percentage, as a team leader, relying on passing alone obviously cannot lead the team far.
In addition, Ball's serious injury concerns are also affecting the Hornets' forward path. Ball hasn't played a full season since his rookie season, with a maximum of 76 games in 2020-21. This season, Ball has played 22 games and then posted a waiver, otherwise the Hornets' results are likely to go further. If the Hornets continue to rebuild around Ball, they will repeat the same mistakes.
In contrast, Brandon Miller, the top show, seems to be a better choice. Due to Wembanyama's presence, Miller's presence is not high, and coupled with the Hornets' sluggish record, Miller has received little attention. But as the schedule deepened, Miller began to find his senses, and won the Rookie of the Week award, and his statistics also improved significantly. Even the Hornets coaching staff began to adjust their tactics based on Miller's technical characteristics.
Although Miller is a rookie, he has a high potential to develop offensive talent. Miller's one-on-one ability with the ball and his ability to combine the ball well can find ways to create an offensive threat even when facing opponents' packs. In terms of shooting, Miller's consistency is also getting higher and higher, and now he has increased his three-point shooting rate to 37%, which has become the most consistent shooting point on the outside of the Hornets.
Ball's presence is certainly important to the Hornets, but from the perspective of future development, Ball is more suitable to be a second-in-command, and Miller is the right person for the Hornets' future first brother. Miller is a better fit for the Hornets in terms of basketball talent and leadership temperament, and his current performance is proving to Hornets management that he is the future of the team.