Reports: Brandon Miller recovering from mono ahead of next month’s NBA Draft

By WVUA 23 Digital Reporter Peyton Davis

Following the results of last week’s NBA Draft Lottery, reports have come out regarding the health of former Alabama basketball star and potential Top 3 pick Brandon Miller.

ESPN NBA insider Jonathan Givony reported last week that Miller’s pre draft interviews “have not been great,” detailing that the star forward was out of shape going into the height of pre-draft season.

However, this story took a turn on Tuesday morning, as Givony said he was told by Miller’s agent Wilmer Jackson that the forward has not been doing much basketball activity since the end of the college season, primarily because he’s been recovering from mono and has lost 13 pounds in the process.

The 6-foot 9-inch 200-pound star forward faced a lot of controversy this past season surrounding his connection to the shooting of Jamea Harris, where he was reportedly driving the car that contained the gun investigators say was used by Michael Davis, who was charged alongside former Crimson Tide men’s basketball teammate Darius Miles with capitol murder.

Miller was never charged with any crime and cooperated fully with authorities throughout the investigation. Yet, the main conclusion of Givony’s report was that teams had major red flags on him as a prospect because of his involvement in this case.

However, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that teams view Miler as “mature” and “focused” as a player and person, and both Woj and Givony agree that he is the heavy favorite to be the second pick of next month’s draft.

According to Fanduel sportsbook, Miller is a heavy favorite at -165 to be the Charlotte Hornets selection at second overall, making it clear that these negative reports will not hurt his draft stock as he recovers from mono.

Miller averaged 18.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists in his first and only season for the Tide, and he led Nate Oats’s team to the number one overall seed in the NCAA Tournament before getting upset by the eventual national champion runner-up San Diego State Aztecs in the Sweet 16. He was the SEC offensive and overall player of the year as well as national Freshamn of the year and wooden award finalist.

The Hornets already have an established franchise lead guard in Lamelo Ball, so all signs point to them pairing him with the Alabama forward. This would mean the second Alabama star to be drafted by a North Carolina team joining Bryce Young, who was taken first overall by the Carolina Panthers last month.