Brandon Miller is back for the Charlotte Hornets, and that changes the shape of Wednesday's season opener against the Brooklyn Nets. Charlotte will still be without Coby White, Kon Knueppel and Grant Williams, but Miller's return gives the Hornets one more creator as they try to move on from a rough preseason meeting with Brooklyn.
That earlier game is the reason this matchup has drawn attention. Charlotte lost by 34 points a few weeks ago, a result built on 25 turnovers and a stretch of inefficient offense that made the final margin look even harsher. Brooklyn, which came off a 20-win season and added Julius Randle this offseason, also had Mikel Brown out that night, while Randle played 18 minutes and scored 13 points.
The betting line adds another layer. Sportsbooks have Charlotte as a 1.5-point favorite even after that blowout, a sign that the opener is being priced more on roster context than on one preseason result. Charlotte was missing four rotation pieces in the first meeting, and Miller's return matters because it lowers the burden on the rest of the lineup, especially in a game that will test whether the Hornets can protect the ball and create cleaner shots than they did before.
That is the real question going into Wednesday at Spectrum Center and Friday's season opener: whether Miller's presence is enough to steady a group that was overwhelmed the first time these teams played, even with several key names still out. The answer will not come from the preseason margin. It will come from how long Charlotte can stay organized once the game starts for real.
