Translation of the article content into English:
The Charlotte Hornets have officially announced that Brandon Miller, the second overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, has suffered a scapholunate ligament tear in his right wrist and will be out indefinitely.
Miller's indefinite absence essentially means that the Hornets can now fully embrace a rebuilding strategy. Many fans may not be familiar with the scapholunate ligament, which connects the scaphoid and lunate bones in the wrist. Considering that Miller is right-handed, this injury has a significant impact on him. Prudently, the team will surely wait until he fully recovers before allowing him to return to the court.
This year marks Miller's second season in the NBA. Prior to his injury, he played in 27 games, averaging 34.2 minutes per game, scoring 21 points, grabbing 4.9 rebounds, dishing out 3.5 assists, and making 1.1 steals. His shooting percentages were 40.3% from the field, 35.5% from three-point range, and 86.1% from the free-throw line. It's clear that, compared to his rookie year, Miller's statistics have generally improved, except for his shooting and three-point percentages, which have slightly decreased. However, this decline in shooting efficiency is understandable. Currently, the Hornets lack a consistent scoring option outside of LaMelo Ball. In such a situation, as the second overall pick, Miller naturally becomes another key player for the Hornets to develop, and he must take on more shots. The sudden increase in ball handling responsibilities is something that a rookie cannot quickly adapt to.
Another set of statistics clearly illustrates this point: Miller's average number of shots this season has increased to 18.2, far exceeding last season's 14.6; additionally, his three-point attempts have jumped from an average of 6.7 last season to 10.9 this season. The significant increase in ball handling responsibilities and tactical status has made it challenging for Miller, who is in his second year in the league, to perfectly integrate these changes into his game over just 27 games. However, we should note that Miller is still very young at 22 years old. Based on the potential he has shown so far, with the support of increased ball handling and tactical status, there should be no major issues with him growing into an All-Star level player in the league over the next few years. After all, Miller's playing style is very attractive. As an outside player with some ball handling ability, he has repeatedly performed high-flying dunks in the paint.
Miller's increased tactical status is also closely related to the Hornets' own situation. Charlotte is a small market, so the Hornets' appeal to star players ranks among the lowest in the entire league. It is difficult for them to attract superstars at the same price in the free market. Therefore, if they want to enhance their competitiveness, they mostly rely on high draft picks in the draft. On the contrary, for rookies, the Charlotte Hornets are actually a good starting point for their careers. A small market does not attract as much attention, the Hornets currently have no pressure to perform, and there are no top superstars in the team, so young players have many opportunities and a higher chance of success. They also have more time and opportunities to improve themselves.
For example, within the Hornets, in addition to Miller and LaMelo Ball, there is also Mark Williams, selected 15th overall in the first round of 2022, who is finally beginning to fulfill his potential in his third year. In the last three games, he averaged 24.7 points and 16 rebounds, with a true shooting percentage of 70.2%. Mark Williams' outstanding performance was also a key reason for the Hornets to send Richards to the Suns. For the Hornets, LaMelo Ball, Miller, and Mark Williams have clearly become their future. With Miller now out indefinitely, they are likely to start aiming for the playoffs. Even if they don't make it, if they can continue to acquire a talented young player in the draft to improve the overall quality of the team, they can certainly look forward to joining the ranks of the Eastern Conference's top teams in the future...