How Long before Brandon Miller is a top 5 SG + should the Hornets tank for Cooper Flagg?

How Long before Brandon Miller is a top 5 SG + should the Hornets tank for Cooper Flagg?

hey it’s me Doug from the podcast before we get started I just wanted to let you know my audio is a little wonky for the first minute or so and it fixes itself why I have no idea anyway enjoy the show no it’s not just Cooper flag Brandon Miller also has a clip going viral playing pretty well practicing against Team USA how good could Brandon Miller be next year among the shooting guards in the NBA we’ll discuss all of that and this let’s go steal an election I I I like that I I do like yes this thing is rigged you are locked on Hornets your daily Charlotte Hornets podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day in a minute cuz we live locked on hornets part of the locked on podcast Network it’s your team every day thanks for making us your first listen we’re free we’re available anywhere you get your pod that includes YouTube today’s episode is brought to you by game time game time download the game time app create an account use code locked on NBA for $20 off your first purchase terms apply there’s Doug Branson you can find him on his substack every Hornets box.com there you can find sub text information you should also follow him on Twitter at Doug Branson loh and I’m Walker mail listen to me WFNZ every weekday from 12:00 to 300 p.m. on Weston Walker 927 FM do you feel like I was a little liberal with the word viral when I said Brandon Miller’s CL like maybe locally viral we’re getting excited but I was going to mention it when you brought it up again yeah what was it viral because it certainly hit my timeline but I don’t know that the uh Bill Simmons or you know any of your NBA punditry they were falling all over themselves to mention Cooper flag I don’t think anyone could be defined as falling all over themselves to mention Brandon Miller’s pullup midi no they were they were you know it’s we love it and that’s not I’m not insulting it in any way I just want to be clear here I loved it I fell all over myself uh to to appreciate that clip what I’m saying is that nationally you know people still although people are starting to turn a little bit towards the Hornets are doing the right things but um but they’re still generally not paying attention which is fine well I mean and yeah sleep on them sleep on us sleep on us yeah we we we want the ch all of the chips the chips on our show Cooper flag that is going viral that I’m not using the term liberally with Brandon okay yeah but we live in our own little world here in Hornets land and there at least within the Hornets world the sicko verse it was funny to see all the sickos raise their hand say hey I was watching the 10 pm tip last night against Sacramento too uh yeah you you are beautiful souls you are beautiful sicko souls and we appreciate you so at least Brandon is looking good we did have Tim bontemps on Weston Walker Doug and he covering team yeah yep TB tb12 avocado milkshakes all that stuff y 100% Tim bontemps was covering some of those practices and he said look we only get to watch about a five minute session but he did know Charles Lee before because Tim has covered the Boston Celtics for quite some time so he developed a relationship with Charles Lee and he talked a little bit about Brandon Miller Cooper flag stole the show from all of the Young Guns going against Team USA he did say that Brandon is respected he did talk about how Charles Lee was excited to take over this new role and and genuinely so like and and also dougy discussed how this this job was actually attractive which is a fun radio question we often have for the vacancies whenever your team fires their guy and they’re looking for a new coach how attractive is the job and you’re right NBA punditry they are starting to shift change their reputation or the reputation what they think the Hornets have just a little bit and Brandon Miller is a huge reason why we get to see him get to his spots against Team USA giving Anthony Edwards the shoulder getting to his spot in the mid-range love to see it uh yeah well I mean all it took for the NBA pentry to finally start to come around was a change in ownership a change in front office a massive overhaul of the roster three potential star drafted with second overall yeah that’s right I mean all took was literally changing everything for people to turn three and0 trip at the California classic that’s five yeah I know people are definitely paying attention to that so um but back to back to Brandon Miller I I Love the clips I mean I think um you know it it sort of fed into some things that we want to believe I I don’t know that I’m ready to fully believe that his like body is is bigger will definitely be on muscle watch um but you know just giving that shoulder to Anthony Edwards creating that separation uh getting you know getting through that screen those are all things that when we actually get decent footage you know we will be paying attention to and I don’t we may get that footage as soon as uh this this upcoming weekend because we do have Vegas summer league coming up Brandon Miller is on the roster I don’t know if we’re going to see him or not uh but we could get a better look at him then um so yeah man I’m excited I’m excited that he’s a part of Team select because I think just being around greatness is always going to be good for for a guy like that he already has the right mentality when you were mentioning that um that that pantry is definitely on him but I think players are too and LeBron James was here he mentioned um you know how much he respected Brandon Miller’s ethic and his work game or his work um so yeah I mean I think it’s good all around good I love it more yeah I wish I wish lamelo was a part of this I understand why he’s not but I wish he was there there’s my take okay oh we we went there we we went with lamelo now I wish he would be a part of it as well it’s a big deal and the fact that it was just kind of a known and maybe that’s too strong but it felt like a known that Brandon Miller was going to be a part of it it makes all the sense in the world if Brandon Miller wasn’t a part of the US select team then we would have raised an eyebrow right and we did this with lamelo too I think that was a couple of years ago where it was a little questionable but there might have been some injuries that he was going through um maybe lamelo didn’t want to do it I don’t think we ever got anything on that but um yeah Brandon being a part of it you’re right I do like the fact that he is around all of this talent and he has the type of game that the Vets respect people love shot making I think players love getting to that mid-range just getting to your spots and be able to knock down some of those shots very gifted offensively it feels like the tide plus if Paul George is the goat for all these younger players and people respect Paul George’s game right Brandon has that type of game that players respect a ton not that NBA pundits don’t but the players you know they’ll vote a very weird way when it comes to the all-star game all NBA Brandon seems like the the type of guy that players absolutely love to watch play basketball that is kind of an interesting wrinkle the All-Star because the players do vote and so yes being around some of these guys in any kind of capacity and showing off your game will will put you in the back of their mind when you’re kind of on that Fringe of whether you’re going to make the All-Star team or not I mean those things can matter around the margins uh but for Brandon Miller I think the most important thing that I’m seeing is that the dude wants to hoop he loves to hoop and he wants to do it alongside the best players in the league and that should be encouraging I mean you know you compare that to Kawhi Leonard who doesn’t seem like he wants to hoop you know what kind of star do you want I want the kind of star that wants to play every game possible and and I think Brandon Miller um showcased that certainly last season when he played through a few injuries had to had to stay out a couple of games but you know came back immediately and started playing again so you know he’s he’s tough and he wants to play against the best and I think that’s the mark of you know a future NBA star before we rank him compared to his peers at that specific position at shooting guard now even though of course he has some versatility with Brandon how much do you want to see him play in Summer League with especially now that you don’t have Charles Lee right because just for those that don’t know Charles Lee expected to take a back seat is not going to be the head coach in the Vegas session was three and0 at the classic not going to take I love by the way love that Savvy move you get your three and0 and you get the hell out of there I love that move that’s right Josh longstaff the assistant that was hired over the offseason coach longstaff will be the head coach for the Vegas session and so now you don’t have Charles Lee being the head coach for Brandon Miller how much does that matter when it comes to how much you want to see Brandon Miller play in Summer League it doesn’t matter at all I mean I’m I’m still skittish because I do worry about injuries and people have been injured in summer league before so I’m skittish does it mean he shouldn’t play no I mean again young player opportunity to get better um opportunity to make that summer league team function a little bit better because I don’t think he would be going in there to score 20 you know to score 30 points but I think he could help that team play better and in fact we could see him in that role showcase a little bit more of his playmaking ability see if he’s like working on something he could you know Workshop something while he’s there you know I don’t necessarily need to see Brandon Miller play and lead the team and score a bunch of points I think all of us are confident enough in his ability after seeing him for one season where he doesn’t have anything to prove in Vegas right but he could help the team function better so if he plays a game or two you know I’m fine with that even though I’m skittish about the injuries I don’t really care about Charles Lee not coaching because Brandon Miller already had time with Charles Lee in that camp session leading up to the California classic so he’s already gotten his you know Charles Xavier Lee time you know he’s he’s been part of young mutants he’s been schooled by Charles Xavier Lee so I’m cool with that now it’s you know now it’s about getting him tuned up and keeping him healthy okay let’s move on coming up next on the lock on Hornets podcast don’t go to sleep on the Hornets just yet I actually have one more question that we can do in the next segment about what you saw from those NBA select Clips NBA team select Clips all right well we’ll have that plus yeah we’ll get to the juicy question here could Brandon Miller Vault his way up all the way into a top five spot among shooting guards in the NBA we’ll get to that in just a moment coming up next lock down horn this episode is brought to you by game time game time game time is an authorized ticket Marketplace of Major League Baseball which makes getting tickets faster and easier and prices on the game time app actually go down the closer it gets to first pitch so it is great for procrastinators you actually benefit when you procrastinate with killer last minute deals Allin prices views from your seat and their lowest price guarantee game time takes the guesswork out of buying major league baseball tickets and I’ve told you about the the deals before there’s plenty of them you have last minute deals where you can save up to 60% 60% off buying last minute for sports concerts comedy theaters so it’s not just sporting events Flash Deals where you can save even more with exclusive inapp deals on select seats ahead of the game or event and Zone deals where you can save even more when you choose a section and let the game time choose the seats so all in pricing seat views lowest price guarantee game time ticket coverage along with all the deals what are you waiting for take the guest work out of buying MLB tickets with Game Time download the game time app create an account use code locked on NBA for $20 off your first purchase terms apply again create an account redeem code l o c k d o n NBA locked on NBA for $20 off download game time today last minute tickets lowest price guaranteed more lock down hornets ahead Doug you said you have a quick question for me sometimes these things don’t go as quickly as we anticipate or just hope they would um before we get to top five stuff what you got uh yes because I think we we probably in service of talking about what we actually have the bird in the hand and Brandon Miller we probably buried the lead a little bit if we were doing the get up first take show we probably should have led with after everything that people saw that actually went viral from Cooper flag the big question around the Hornet should be after you know getting the second overall pick and then the fourth overall pick and then or the sixth overall pick excuse me then should they tank for Cooper flag oh well yeah this is yes this is a a big question you’re right about this was the but again here’s the thing we Ser we I I feel like we did a service to the sickos to the audience that actually wants to talk about what we have now they are thirsty for this season and so I think we did the right thing but we’re going to track back and do the first take thing which is should they tank for Cooper fly this this could be at least a two segment portion of the show so we are maybe we do push this top five stuff a little bit further down but also here we are with the debate of what is National and what is local where nationally they would tell you that the Charlotte Hornets should tank for Cooper flag but here they’ve made Moves In the offseason and they have players on the roster that don’t make sense to tank in order to get that number one overall spot that it would take to land Cooper flag so doesn’t that run contrary to signing miles Bridges to a $75 million deal if you were going all in to try to get Cooper flag then you let him walk totally you try to sign and trade even if the return Isn’t amazing and maybe and maybe you still do that Doug like the other way to do it is what we’ve talked about before with the possibility of doing the PJ Washington thing and trading him at the deadline before the NBA draft you can’t wait really to the offseason unless you’re going right before the draft so that’s still possible but maybe you do it at the deadline but if he remains on the team for the entire next year going into The Following Season then it runs contrary to trying to go get Cooper flag on top of that you can’t go into a season hoping that all of your players get injured again so Brandon who was not injured all that much last year and when he was out he would come right back which was pretty cool to see the fact that he had some durability we know that lamelo has not showed uh has not shown us durability the last couple of years same thing with Mark Williams so if those guys are healthy it does feel like a team that would get to a 30 win place 34 whatever the over under will be 34 maybe that’s where we place it so yeah 34 is going to be a lottery team but the odds still aren’t great for you to go get that number one slide and plus this is not a roster that you are intentionally tanking maybe things go so poorly for them where guys don’t step up you suffer a third straight year of terrible injury luck and then you still fall towards the basement you fall down the stairs a little bit in the standings but that’s what happened last year Doug and what did they do they got the sixth overall pick would you say that team was good last year hell no no so they won 20 games and they still got the sixth overall pick and that’s about where they were to select except for maybe one spot later it’s number one for Cooper or nothing and I will say there are a lot of talented prospects in this class we’re having the conversation surrounding Cooper but this class is reminiscent of what you had two years ago with wmy now so you would still have a prize at 2 three four 5 678 you would still have that still if you’re tanking for Cooper no the the decisions they’ve made have run contrary to that and you’re not going to be bad enough to compete with some of the other teams that are right below you it it doesn’t make sense to me based on what you have right now unless you trade miles but even still things would have to go poorly yeah the choice is pretty simple right you either you tank for Cooper flag at the expense of what you already have what you know in lamelo ball and Brandon Miller because if you if you were to intentionally move this direction into a losing Zone you’re going to hurt those two players I’ve said it multiple times now you’ve got to get these guys some playoff experience you know I mean you you just run down the stars in this league and they all got playoff experience if not their rookie season because they were part of good teams they got it in the first couple of years it’s you know guy so guys just don’t turn into Stars if they don’t get playoff experience you know in their first five or six seasons um unless they move somewhere else right so that those are the choices you have and I think the Hornets are making the right choice because we don’t live in a universe anymore where being the worst team in the NBA almost guarantees you a shot at that number one overall pick the the odds are not necessarily in your favor anymore to to do that so I think the NBA has done a good job at incentivizing winning in that way so I think you’re dead on with all of your takes which is like they look if if injuries happen at the beginning of the season this team can pivot towards Cooper flag if that becomes like the the thing that everyone sees in the mirror just like they did last season um that and if this doesn’t fit you know I think they’ve got enough maneuverability and the front office has already shown the ability to move guys both the ownership has committed to you know doing that in the last trade deadline and I think Jeff Peterson has shown an ability to get deals done that if at this trade deadline they needed to make that same pivot I think they could but honestly I think they’re banking on not having to make that pivot and they’re there’s going to be some stiff competition by the way for the worst team in the league Detroit is still bad and I don’t see them getting any better um they’ve got poor Lin Washington I mean I just don’t think you’re going to be worse than those teams honestly even if you tried well and and then here we are you know going long on this but this is it just people are asking about it with especially with Cooper flag being in the news like he is and he’s going to come to Durham so we’re GNA get to watch him in the state of North Carolina it’s not gonna go away the story line is not going to go away that which is why I hope I really I am I am begging the Hornets to get off to a good start because that would stamp that would Tamp down that conversation it would say all right you know the Hornets seem like they’ve got something here there’s no reason to Pivot away from that so so the other two points that I have you could one is you could look at this one of either two ways one way is well hey you have as good a shot to get to that number one slot in the NBA draft even if you aren’t the worst team you have a good as good a shot as ever to get that spot okay that’s true also that’s true for every other team as well right and then we can go ahead and ask at Detroit who has to endure all of this losing and they still end up with a whole bunch of picks that outside of what the top two they had Kate Cunningham congratulations you still have the number four pick in Jaden Ivy you get the five pick and assar Thompson they got the five pick this year like three straight years of being terrible and not getting to a top spot so that’s the other thing but one more for me if you do decide to Pivot where things are going so terribly and you want to trade people at the deadline and you want to be sellers again oh boy terrible start one but that looks like more than just trading miles Bridges Doug you can trade you have to tear it all down rebuild when when people were talking what the Hornets are rebuilding I was saying this offseason I was like no they’re not they’re they’re retooling because rebuilding means you’re trading Lamela ball it means you’re taking offers on Brandon Miller you know what I’m saying yeah and I I think you hold on I don’t think they’re trading brand I would say that Brandon would still be pretty damn pretty close to Untouchable he would be Untouchable for any other scenario but if you just are trading everything you’re still holding on to your second you know a year and a half guy in still at that Arch type but I do think everybody else Not only would be on the table but you’re actively shopping them that that is not happening right which is not happening it’s the trade lamelo discussion that we’re having at that point that’s what we’re doing it it that’s really what it boils down to and I don’t expect that to happen I don’t think things are going to go so poorly where they have to make that shift and then go tank for Cooper flag I have a wood desk I’m knocking on it just for the people at home a lot of variables well that’s what I’m saying like right but to me I think what what this discussion is and the the question on the table is are the Hornets closer to whatever a top playin spot or six seed or are they closer to being the worst team in the league and although there’s not a lot of evidence to support that this is any that they’re close to a postseason birth I think there is enough evidence of the talent that they have on the squad that should be getting better as the year goes on to say if that Squad is healthy they’re closer to that postseason than they are to being the worst team in the league yeah it could be real 5050 though with the injury luck but you’re right you’re right no no listen we’ve bulldozed the house there is no uh no more Poltergeist uh We’ve we’ve got uh you know we’ve got a a Plotkin gist now no more poter except wait except wait who’s that Steve Clifford oh get out of here Steve Steve go away hold on hold on hey M cup check well Steve moved out of the house Steve moved out of the house and he moved into a condo down the street which I think was a really smart move if your house is haunted you know flip that b flip that baby especially if you’re in a good Market get a good price on it and get the hell out no nobody’s ever heard of a haunted condo maybe haunted apartment but that’s right do haunted condo oh yes the scary movie The Haunted condo nobody’s seeing that no that doesn’t exist let’s move on one more segment to go coming up next on the lockdown Hornets podcast go to sleep on the Hornets just yet I promise the top five shooting guard conversation we’re going to get to that coming up next last segment all right Doug I was listening to the Bill Simmons pod a guy that actually gave the Hornets the best compliment that he’s given it a long time when he said the Hornets might actually know what they’re doing now oh man music to my ears just not having to hear Hornets hate when I listen to Zack low Bill Simmons may maybe it’ll come a little bit later but at least not right now with some of the decisions they’ve made it was Bill Simmons and Ryan rillo discussing the top five shooting guards in the league and and He was discussing this surrounding dear D rozan and why the Kings might go after him you look at the shooting guard position D rozan even still at this point might be a top five guy of course what’s the local angle I wanted to make this about Brandon Miller and Doug on Wesson Walker two days ago I I had the bullet point how much of next season is about the leap that Brandon Miller takes do we get from a 17o per game guy on pretty good shooting to I don’t know 23 do we get to a 23 Point per game guy that shoots 45% from the field 38 39 from three something like that where now you’re starting to flirt with an All-Star appearance that’s good enough for you to get some attention especially if you give I don’t know five rebounds maybe three four assists whatever right so if that’s the case is there a shot for him to Vault himself up into a top five shooting guard slot so let’s go through the guys I think the easy ones that are top three and clearly above Brandon even next year the guys that we can Bank on being above him next year tell me if you disagree Anthony Edwards no sorry your boy Devin snooker Devon Booker and the regular season if we’re just talking regular season sure yeah ABS okay Devin Booker Anthony Edwards Donovan Mitchell yep I think that’s your that’s your top three in we have this hybrid where they’re listed at shooting guard on ESPN but like James Harden is a point guard to me straight up I don’t think he’s a shooting guard okay throwing him out J Jaylen Brown is more of a forward if you’re going with the Celtics and their closing lineups it’s like Drew holiday it’s Derek white see I love this strategy if we’re we’re going if we’re going to get Brandon Miller to to to shooting guard to top five shooting guard what we have to do is eliminate eliminate all of his competition by declaring them not shooting guards I love this let’s go steal an election I I I like that I I do like yes this thing is rigged let’s let’s stop the count um on fake electors we’re gonna do it all but I I I do as the famous Mac said I do believe what I know is true um James Harden yes that’s as the famous Doug said you win every argument uh that you know you you if if you make argument you win it you win every argument you make so even Jason Tatum is the guy running point in the postseason I just Jaylen Brown’s a forward to me he’s not a shooting guard James Harden point guard so now you’re talking about like Demar D rozan okay I would still put D rozan above Brandon Miller is that fair for you like right now yes yes right now sure I I I think next year he could Vault himself into that though like above him I think that that’s a possibility I mean next year he’s got the potential to get some Allstar buzz like it’s not it’s out of the realm of possibility so absolutely he could Vault himself above D rozan so he would have to jump Demar D rozan um CJ mum like I I’m starting to look a little bit but Brandon I’m good I’m good with Brandon and feel comfortable with saying Brandon would be a better player than him next year I think that’s possible so now we’re getting into like dejonte Murray is he a point guard defensively he’s good I if you want to put him shooting guard fine like he’s still above Brandon to me I think the conversation is there other than that I mean I’m trying to dig deep Devon Vel I he could be in that same thing where he takes a jump what you know so the question I think becomes then do you get some hipstery defense picks like or or three and D picks like Desmond Bane Austin Reeves you know do you have some folks saying well they give you something on both ends of the floor you know and that’s where it’s going to be really inherent on Brandon Miller to really soak up everything that Charles Lee has to offer in terms of improving him on the defensive end of the floor honestly like I think his offense is going to be developing next year but it’ll be it’ll be coming to him way easier because he has such a variety of ways to score I mean you saw it in those team select Clips he’s going to be scoring at all three levels so I’m not worried about that but like if he starts to also do things defensively that we haven’t seen because that’s where the potential is to do things that we haven’t seen from him last season it’s going to be on the defensive end of floor and if he starts to do that I think that’s where he could pick up some major Buzz for for an All-Star bid by the way I’m looking at the ESPN positions and how they have these guys lined up yeah they have Brandon Miller as a power forward on ESPN so just just to we’re we’re changing the positions but we’re also changing Brandon to get to small forward he might even yeah it’s so weird yeah and it’ll be interesting to see and well that’s I didn’t want to blow I’m glad you said that because I I didn’t want to blow this discussion up before it got started because I really I saw when you came to the show and you wanted to talk about this I saw you just had a puppy look in your eyes you’re really excited uh because this is perfect rank radio fod yeah it’s great right so I I knew so I didn’t want to blow it up but now that you mentioned that I will say that I think this entire discussion is a bit silly because are we doing shooting guards small fors you even mentioned it with the Jaylen Brown thing I think we’re just doing Wings right like who’s the best wing and yeah it’s going to be tougher to get Brandon Miller into a top five Wing discussion it’s way he won be there right it’s way easier to get him into top five shooting guard discussion because I think as as much as we’ve lost definition on the power forward Center discussion I honestly think we’ve lost it more on shooting guard we have no idea what a shooting guard is anymore I don’t well I mean it’s funny because we have those three Anthony Edwards Devin Booker donin Mitchell are pretty clearly defined as that it’s like small scorers like small scorers so but but that’s my point I mean Brandon was shooting guard last year we know we that’s what he was you had PJ you had miles yeah had like that’s what he was and so and and Steve Clifford right we’ve said this a million times but that’s what he wanted him to play because of the positional size that he had at the two spot I I hear what you’re saying for sure position versatility it positionist basketball all that stuff I do want it to be representative though of Brandon being a bleeping dude if we’re talking about him in this kind of category as soon as we get to year to where guys can go to the All-Star Game we’re we’re talking about him as a top five player at a position where we can still Define it somewhat maybe in the next couple of years it’s just all right everything’s Wing whatever I just wanted it to be representative of Brandon Miller taking that jump that’s a monster storyline next year does he does he stall out are we going with the Improvement is not always linear phrase that everybody has loved to go with or are we like oh okay yeah monster monster step forget the escalator I mean he took the elevator going straight up not at an angle whatsoever yeah it’s really interesting with the Josh Green acquisition because you think like with his ability to guard multiple positions that does allow you to like play Brandon at two but because he’s going to struggle to guard I mean struggle to guard um Jaylen Brunson he’s going to struggle to guard Donovan Mitchell he’s going to struggle to guard Booker um like I don’t know that I trust him on Edwards so it’s point of attack stuff right like team defense you trust them that’s what I’m saying so it’s like well if you don’t trust him on other shooting guards then is he a shooting guard so that’s that’s my so if you if you’ve got Josh Green there uh to be your small forward and then we’re just calling Brandon a shooting guard that’s why I like Wing way better well first of all I love Wings they’re tasty uh you know dry rub uh put them in some buffalo sauce I love Wings in general but I love the idea of Wings in the NBA because then we can start talking about is this a defensive Wing is it uh you know a shooting Wing you know then we can start to break it down that way that makes more sense in my brain than to say shooting guard small forward no I I hear you I do think defensively I think man I don’t trust him on small forwards right now just because I think bully ball will push him all the way out of bounds power forwards I only trust him on power forwards I I I i’ still I still trust him on shooting guards more because I feel like the link can do a better job of like him relying on the length even if the quickness gets by him rather than the strength pushing Brandon Miller all the way out of bounds and then we we saw it in transition like I I think Brandon Miller if he’s the lone guy in transition and there’s this two onone or even if there’s this one-on-one we saw him go out of bounds so often Doug where if he’s chasing a guy down we we saw some monster blocks those are fun yeah it’s if he goes to small for and Josh Green starts and that’s where he logs most of his minutes then you’re right like you still have some versatility though with the starting lineup convos we’ll have closer to the beginning of the season the two options that we have it’s going to be tough do we go Josh Green 2 Brandon Miller 3 or do we go Brandon Miller 2 miles 3 Grant four at those are the two options I’m looking at right now and honestly you know this whole discussion has been really in the context of what we saw last season what you’re hoping for is that everything that we just said is slightly if not entirely wrong that he comes in and is able to stay with Edwards Booker Mitchell Brunson Murray McCollum in ways that shock us you know in ways that are fundamentally different than they were last season it’s certainly possible and again they’ve got the right coach and again he has started early you know what I’m saying like he looks like he’s having a great summer so and and he was you know uh he was going I you we didn’t see it in reverse right we saw Edwards on on Miller but we didn’t see it in reverse but one would have to think that you know he probably got some possessions um on the flip side of that matchup too so I I’m anxious I’m anxious to see Brandon Miller uh play some play some defense here because I think it is the way his Pathway to getting an All-Star bit I think is paved on the defensive end of the floor that’ll do it for lockdown Hornets thanks for making us your first listen we are free and available anywhere you get your pods that includes YouTube make your second listen locked on Fantasy Basketball to get ready for the next Following season they do a great job team breakdowns position breakdowns so first listen locked on Hornets second listen locked on Fantasy Basketball are you laughing because I’m trying to dictate these people’s listening schedule no I’m laughing because every time you know so lockdown fantasy basketball does this like big NBA preview and every time I I go on there when Clifford is the coach I just brace for Josh Lloyd to cff not players and because that affects fantasy and so thankfully thankfully uh I’m not you know like we’ve we’ve had the the complex discussion about what our feelings on Steve Clifford but there is one thing I’m thankful for and that he has moved on is that I don’t have to face that conversation anymore that uh he’ll to he’ll have to pick on me for something else well I mean and he played you know maybe part of it was because of necessity but he was playing Bryce McGaw and leaky black last year and Brandon Miller that’s why he’s gone he’s out of here yeah it’s like wait I thought you guys wanted me to play young guys what’s the deal yeah I played Brandon Miller 40 minutes a game in the second half like we had to ride him anyways that’ll do it thanks for making this your first listen have a great rest of your day we’ll be back with you tomorrow [Music] St

The guys dodged the Cooper Flagg highlights and jumped right into discussing Brandon Miller’s social media highlights practicing against Team USA. Could Brandon Miller be a top 5 shooting guard in the NBA next season? Who would he need to leapfrog? Also, Walker and Doug take a look at the idea of tanking for Cooper Flagg and whether it’s feasible.

Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…
🎧 https://linktr.ee/lockedonhornets

Become an official member of the Locked On Hornets Sicko Brigade and get Hornets news, rumors and pictures of Byron Mullens sent directly to your phone via Subtext (14 Day Free Trial): https://joinsubtext.com/lockedonhornets

Locked On NBA League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft, WNBA & More
🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNBA

Get Doug’s gamenotes, special articles and a podcast on Hornets history at the Every Hornets Boxscore substack: everyhornetsboxscore.com

Get more Walker on Wes and Walker 12-3pm on WFNZ 92.7 FM

📲 Follow Locked On Hornets on Twitter
Locked On Hornets https://twitter.com/LockedOnHornets
Walker Mehl https://twitter.com/WalkerMehl
Doug Branson https://twitter.com/DougBransonLOH

📺 Follow Locked On NBA: https://linktr.ee/lockedonnba

📢 Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!

Stitch Fix
Style that makes you feel as good as you look—get started today at StitchFix.com/LOCKEDON

Grammarly
When it comes to writing, Grammarly is there to support you from start to finish. With one click, you can easily and easily brainstorm, rewrite, and reply with suggestions based on your context and goals. Go to grammarly.com/PODCAST to download for FREE today.

Nissan
Our friends at Nissan have a lineup of SUV’s with the capabilities to take your adventure to the next level. Take the Nissan Rogue, Nissan Pathfinder, or Nissan Armada and go find your next big adventure. Shop NissanUSA.com.

LinkedIn
LinkedIn Jobs helps you find the qualified candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONNBA. Terms and conditions apply.

eBay Motors
For parts that fit, head to eBay Motors and look for the green check. Stay in the game with eBay Guaranteed Fit at eBayMotos.com. Let’s ride. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply.

BetterHelp
This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Make your brain your friend, with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/LOCKEDONNBA today to get 10% off your first month.

PrizePicks
Go to PrizePicks.com/lockedonnba and use code lockedonnba for a first deposit match up to $100!

Gametime
Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase.

FanDuel
Get buckets with your first bet on FanDuel, America’s Number One Sportsbook. Right now, NEW customers get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS with any winning FIVE DOLLAR BET! That’s A HUNDRED AND FIFTY BUCKS – if your bet wins! Visit FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON to get started.

FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

#Hornets #LaMelo #LaMeloBall