Brandon Miller is out indefinitely with a torn ligament in his wrist according to a Charlotte Hornets press release. It’s very unfortunate news for a number of reasons. For one, Miller is one of the main attractions for any Hornets game. His absence makes watching any game a little less appealing. On top of that, the Hornets were finally getting relatively healthy for the first time in about three years. Miller, LaMelo Ball, Mark Williams, and Miles Bridges were all healthy and available for a few games, and they played really well as a unit. Now that unit has once again been disbanded for the foreseeable future.
The specific injury is a torn scapholunate ligament in his wrist, which according to the Internet is the most commonly injured ligament in the wrist. He’ll potentially have to have surgery to repair it, and while the team didn’t provide a timetable for his return, it’s not typically a quick recovery. Based on other players who have had the surgery, his season is likely done. The only example I can find of a player returning in the same season in which they had this injury is TJ McConnell. He returned for the last three games of the 2021-22 season after getting hurt in early December. The same recovery timeline would put Miller’s return after the end of the season. Even if he’s able to avoid surgery, which seems unlikely given how pro sports teams typically handle injuries, his recovery timeline would likely still be at least a couple months. And if there’s one thing the Hornets have shown this year, it’s that they’re not rushing players back from injuries.
I don’t know when exactly the injury occurred other than it happened some time during the Jazz game, though Miller finished the game on the court and was still shooting jumpers late in the contest.
It’s a sad likely end to Miller’s sophomore season. He has improved his counting stats across the board from his rookie season, though his shooting efficiency has dipped a bit. The injury is in his right (shooting) wrist. Hopefully it doesn’t cause any long term issues with his shot.
