Hornets’ Brandon Miller will miss the rest of the season after wrist surgery

Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller underwent successful surgery to repair a torn scapholunate ligament in his right wrist on Thursday and will miss the rest of the 2024-25 season as a result, the team announced.

At this time, there is no clear timeline for Miller’s recovery after Thursday’s surgery. The Hornets will provide further updates when necessary.

Miller, 22, was previously in the midst of his second NBA season with Charlotte having suffered this wrist injury Jan. 15 against the Utah Jazz. He had 20 points and five rebounds in 33 minutes against the Jazz, helping the Hornets to a 117-112 victory.

The 2023 No. 2 overall pick finishes the 2024-25 season averaging 21.0 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game while shooting 40.3 percent from the floor and 35.5 percent from three. points.

Before suffering this wrist injury, Miller was in the midst of arguably the best offensive stretch of his career.

Over his last 11 games, Miller is averaging 21.6 points per game while shooting 41.4 percent from the floor. Miller has recorded at least 20 points in seven games during this stretch, including a 34-point night with seven 3-pointers in a 110-104 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Earlier this season, Miller scored a career-high 38 points with eight 3-pointers in a 123-121 win over the Detroit Pistons.

Missing Miller until the end of the 2024-25 season is another setback for a young Hornets team in the midst of a rebuild. Grant Williams is already out for the season with a torn ACL and other knee ligaments, and star guard LaMelo Ball has also missed 11 games with an injury.

Along with their lackluster 11-29 record, the Hornets have won four of their last six games, highlighted by a 110-105 victory over the Dallas Mavericks recently on MLK Day.

Without Miller on the court, the Hornets and first-year head coach Charles Lee will look to allocate more minutes to Josh Green, Cody Martin and possibly newly acquired Josh Okogie.

Charlotte is currently tied with the Toronto Raptors for the third fewest wins in the league this season.