‘A ton of talent’: Paul George impressed after first match-up with Hornets’ Brandon Miller

The G.O.A.T. was in the building, creating an everlasting memory.

No, not the former majority owner of the Charlotte Hornets, the guy who has the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award named after him. Some label Michael Jordan as the best to ever lace them up in the league, pointing to the six championships — including a pair of three-peats — along with his position as a global icon who changed the game in more ways than one.

Brandon Miller has a different take on the often nauseating debate centering around the greatest player of all time, tabbing LA Clippers star Paul George instead of Jordan or LeBron James. Miller never backed off his statement and caught flak for it. The Hornets rookie missed the team’s December meeting, a rarity for him, so Sunday night’s 130-118 loss represented Miller’s first opportunity to go up against his favorite player.

“That’s my guy, big bro,” Miller said. “I’m looking forward to working out with him this summer. You know he’s going to be a tough match-up every time we play each other. And so I always look for a show when he’s on the court. He’s a great shot maker. And not just that. The whole season, he takes pride on the defensive side and that’s one of the things that stands out for him and his career. I think that’s why my favorite player is Paul George.”

Miller commemorated the night with a halfcourt jersey swap, grabbing a keepsake.

“Dream come true,” said Miller, who posted 22 points, six rebounds and four assists against the Clippers. “Just having one of our favorite player’s jerseys, just hanging (it) up in your house, I think that’s a great accomplishment. Really just out here being on the court with those types of guys — (Russell) Westbrook , PG, (James) Harden, Kawhi (Leonard) — I think that’s just a blessing. And I’m always going out there with the mindset of competing. And that’s what we do every night.”

Even when it’s not simply any old night.

“It was fun,” George said, standing in the Clippers’ locker room holding Miller’s uniform top. “He got a ton of game, and a ton of talent and I’m in his corner. So can’t wait to see him fully blossom and be one of those guys that carried the league for a long time.”

Miller already left a lasting impact on George. He raved about the 21-year-old’s skill set, giving him props for the variety he brings to the table for the Hornets.

“He can do a little bit of everything,” George said. “He can play make, score, shoot it from deep. He can put the ball on the ground, and he’s still figuring it out, figuring his body out. He really hasn’t grown into himself yet. So he’s got a ton of upside. But what’s most impressive is all the things that he can do for his age, and at some point he’s going to figure everything out.”

Matched up on each other for a hefty portion of the game, Miller got tested early and often by the nine-time All-Star, who pumped in a game-high 41 points. George took Miller to school a couple of times, even putting him on skates before failing to knock down a 3-pointer that surely would’ve been shared everywhere on social media had it fallen through the net.

In similar fashion to how things have gone during these past five months, however, Miller more than held his own. Separating himself with George guarding him in the third quarter was a thing of beauty, displaying his mentality.

Miller said, “I was supposed to make that one. It happens.”

Was that a push off?

“For sure, for sure,” George said with a smile. “But it is what it is. They didn’t call it.”

From the opening quarter, it was crystal clear being on the court with George didn’t intimidate Miller one bit. Swatting George’s first-quarter jumper and throwing down a nifty fast-break alley-oop from Tre Mann over him certainly proved that.

“Yeah, I think (he’s) getting comfortable,” Clippers coach Ty Lue said. “ He said his idol is P.G. and he plays a lot like P.G. — off the dribble threes, when he gets in the pick and roll getting downhill, shifty moves. And just getting comfortable understanding how to play the NBA game. Like I said, (Coach Steve Clifford) has done a great job just bringing him along, making sure he plays the right way even though they want him to be aggressive scoring the basketball but also making the right play. And so he’s been doing that since I’ve been watching him on tape.”

Miller has put together a solid season, climbing up the rookie ranks in many notable categories. He drained his 160th 3-pointer of the season Sunday, moving him into ninth place, and is close to surpassing the 166 Charlotte’s prodigal son Steph Curry posted during his first year.

Leading into Sunday, Miller averaged 2.4 made 3-pointers per game, tops among rookies this season, and he’s on pace to set a new franchise rookie record for 3-point makes per game, topping LaMelo Ball’s 1.8 in 2020-21. In fact, Miller has drained at least five 3-pointers eight times, which leads all rookie and marks a franchise record.

Still, perhaps the most telling number is this: Seven. That’s the number of games Miller hasn’t been available, which is no small feat on the Hornets’ injury-ravaged roster that’s second only to Memphis in games missed because of injury.

“One thing that stands out after the other night is the durability piece,” coach Steve Clifford said.. “He turned his ankle badly, came in, went back out, one drive, hurts his other ankle, wanted to stay in. I asked him (Saturday), ‘You OK?’ ‘I’m good.’ And he’s done that two or three times.

“In a league where I’d say the value of durability isn’t what it once was, he is a guy, he wants to be out there, he wants to play with his teammates, and he’s shown a real toughness to do that.”

Opponents are taking notice, too.

“It’s huge, it’s huge,” Lue said, “especially having your best players on the floor every night, and you build some consistency with your team. With your best players on the floor, you can run things through your best player, especially a young good player. You can only get better and better. If he wasn’t on the floor all this year, I don’t know how much better he would have gotten. Being on the floor, being able to go through the experiences — end-of-game situations, blowout situations, close game situations, it’s no better experience than being on the floor. So that’s what Brandon Miller has been able to do.”

Which, in turn, should put him in position to keep ascending.

“I think that is just a mindset thing,” Miller said. “I know my teammates want me to play, so I’m just going to go out there and do everything for them. I know they are always going to have my back and I’m going to have theirs.”

Particularly when it comes to matching up with his G.O.A.T.

“When I stepped on the court it was all basketball, just business,” Miller said. “Going into the game knowing that it was a tough match-up, I was looking forward to this game. I was excited to play this game and I think it was a great game by both teams.”