Brandon Miller gaining more momentum ahead of NBA Draft

By WVUA 23 Digital Reporter Peyton Davis

University of Alabama standout basketball player Brandon Miller is sitting pretty ahead of this month’s NBA Draft.

The 6-foot 9-inch 20-year-old is reported to be the No. 2 player on “most teams” boards, per ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. That puts him over over G League Ignite guard Scoot Henderson, who was the unanimous second-best player in the NBA Draft going into the season.

“Most teams we’ve spoken with have Miller over Henderson on their draft board, and it wouldn’t surprise anyone if that is the direction the Hornets go on draft night,” Givony told Bleacher Report June 10.

This is the most recent report in a long line of experts projecting the former Alabama star will begin his NBA career in Charlotte, North Carolina, and it would tie him with Antonio McDyess for the highest draft pick in Alabama program history. McDyess was the second overall pick in the 1995 NBA Draft when we went to the Los Angeles Clippers.

Miller is currently a consensus -200 to go second overall compared to +180 for Henderson, according to top sportsbooks and oddsmakers, with the generational 7-foot 5-inch French prospect Victor Wembenyama being the unanimous No. 1 pick.

Not only is it nice to see an Alabama basketball player get recognition in NBA circles, but this is also a major positive for the program as a whole on the recruiting trail. Turning Miller, who was 247 Sports 14th-ranked recruit in the 2022 class, into the second pick in the NBA Draft is a major selling point for Oats as he pursues top high school players.

The freshman forward averaged 18.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and shot 38.4% from three, and those numbers were heavily affected by a groin strain in the NCAA Tournament, resulting in Miller being historically inefficient from the field in the Tide’s three games in March Madness. Miller’s historic season included SEC and National Freshman of the Year, SEC Player of the Year and AP First Team All-American awards, which resulted an even bigger boost in his draft stock.

All signs are pointing to Miller winding up playing in the same state as fellow Alabama legend and No. 1 overall 2023 NFL Draft pick Bryce Young, who’s starting with the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte, North Carolina, this fall.

The NBA Draft begins June 22.