Brandon Miller ruled out vs. Denver Nuggets after injuring his ankle in first quarter

Charlotte Hornets star forward Brandon Miller was starting to look like one of the most explosive players in the league in the past few months. He flashed the tantalizing talent that made him the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. On Saturday evening against the Denver Nuggets, he suffered an injury after a Nuggets player inadvertently stepped on his ankle in the first quarter, sending him to the locker room with Charlotte’s training staff.

Brandon Miller is headed to the locker room after having his ankle stepped on during this play. pic.twitter.com/4y4FjRn5ny

— Bally Sports: Hornets (@HornetsOnBally) December 24, 2023

Later in the game, Miller was officially ruled out, according to Shane Connuck of The Observer. He’s played in the most games of any player on the Hornets’ roster this season (25 games).

He’s been averaging 15.0 points per game, 4.1 rebounds per game, and 2.3 assists per game in his rookie campaign. On November 18th against the New York Knicks, Miller erupted for 29 points, flashing the ceiling that many projected for him as the No. 2 overall pick in the draft.

It’s the third ankle sprain that Miller has suffered this season, so the Hornets will hope he can stay healthy in the future.

Brandon Miller had a dominant freshman year at Alabama

Miller might have only been a freshman but he was named the SEC Player of the Year. There was not too much competition either, with Miller clearly being the best the conference had to offer. Alabama going on to win the regular season and tournament championship helped the cause as well.

There were too many games you can point to where Miller single handily dominated. On the road against South Carolina (41 points, eight rebounds plus the game-tying and game-winning shot in overtime) stands out more than others, especially since that’s when his name was linked to the murder of Jamea Harris.

Miller wound up averaging 18.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. No SEC team was able to keep him out of double-figures, scoring at will against tough opponents. He helped guide the Crimson Tide to their first No.1 overall seed in NCAA Tournament history. Alabama ended up being upset by San Diego State in the Sweet 16 of the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

Coming out of Cane Ridge (Antioch, Tennessee), Miller was rated as a five-star prospect and the No. 14 overall player in the nation, according to the On3 Industry Rankings in the 2022 cycle.

On3’s Griffin McVeigh also contributed to this article.