Charlotte Hornets rookie Brandon Miller was named the NBA’s Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for the month of January.
Adding to @brandmillerr's resume 📄 Give it up for your @NBA Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month 👏🥶
— Charlotte Hornets (@hornets) February 1, 2024
🔗 https://t.co/dCjUoU2Bg8 pic.twitter.com/A8D53zzK2P
Miller finished the month of January with averages of 16.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game, but that includes a game that he had to leave six after nine minutes because of injury. If we remove that game from the equation, his January averages come out to 17.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game. Slightly better and more impressive.
He saved his best for the end of the month. In the eight games after returning from the aforementioned injury, Miller averaged 20.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game. He’s had the ball in his hands a lot more after the trade of Terry Rozier and is growing into a role of primary scorer and secondary play maker.
This recent month of play is only part of the story for Brandon Miller’s season so far. This is from the Hornets’ press release about him winning the award:
He and Wembanyama are the only two rookies to rank in the top-10 among first-year players in points per game, rebounds per game, assists per game, steals per game and blocks per game. Miller has logged 12 20-point games this season, the second-most among rookies behind only Wembanyama. He is connecting on 2.1 3-pointers per game, the second-most among rookies this season (Jordan Hawkins) and is on pace to break LaMelo Ball’s Hornets rookie record (1.8).
It’s hopefully the first of many awards for the Hornets rookie, and it’s very well deserved.
