While the 2023-24 NBA regular season has been one to forget for Charlotte Hornets fans, the same can’t be said of rookie forward Brandon Miller, who has thrived on the court during his first professional season out of the University of Alabama. He will be one of the most popular Hornets players to bet on when NBA betting launches on March 11.
The second overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft has posted a win share of 0.4 (per Basketball-Reference.com) in 46 games this season, averaging 16.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game on 44.4% shooting for the 11-41 Hornets.
After an impressive stretch from the Hornets' second overall pick, Miller has averaged over 22 PPG on more than 60% true shooting in his previous 10 games. For Hornets fans, he’s been one of the few bright spots in an otherwise disappointing 2024 season.
Using StatMuse.com, BetCarolina.com has compiled the points per game averages of the past 10 2nd overall picks during their respective rookie campaigns. If Miller were to keep his current PPG average, he would rank third in this group — higher than his Hornets teammate and 2020 Rookie of the Year, LaMelo Ball.
Top PPG Averages for 2nd Overall Picks in their Rookie Season
Most of these players will be heavily featured on NC sportsbook apps in a few weeks. Here are the top 2nd overall picks in their rookie NBA season.
*PPG = Points Per Game
Where Miller Ranks Among Other No. 2 Picks
Since 2012, Miller’s current 16.5 PPG pace ranks third overall, behind 2019 pick Ja Morant (17.8 PPG) and Jalen Green of the Houston Rockets (17.3 PPG), He is currently ahead of the pace that Marvin Bagley III (14.9 PPG), D’Angelo Russell (13.2 PPG), Jabari Parker (12.3 PPG), Ball (10.5 PPG) and Brandon Ingram (9.4 PPG) posted during their respective rookie years.
The only No. 2 pick to not appear at all during what was supposed to be their rookie campaigns was 2022 pick Chet Holmgren, who missed the entire 2023 NBA season after suffering a Lisfranc injury in his right foot.
This season, Holmgren has averaged 16.8 PPG and 7.5 rebounds per game in what technically counts as his rookie season for the Oklahoma City Thunder, with a 5.8 win share to bolster the current No. 3 seed in the NBA’s Western Conference.
While Holmgren is technically ahead of Miller when it comes to rookie PPG production out of the No. 2 slot, the fact that the former has an extra year of professional basketball experience eliminates him from contention on our list — thus allowing the latter to stand tall behind a pair of league stars, in Morant and Green, on the recent No. 2 draft pick leaderboard in the NBA.
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