NBA Draft stock: Brandon Miller isn’t giving teams what they want

Alabama’s Brandon Miller is projected to be the No. 2 pick in the coming NBA Draft but his lack of answers on a huge scandal still has teams concerned.

If only the basketball mattered in the NBA Draft, Brandon Miller would be as sure-fire a No. 2 pick for the Charlotte Hornets as Victor Wembanyama is at No. 1 for the San Antonio Spurs.

But that’s not the way things are, especially when the non-basketball concerns involved the murder of a young mother.

Alabama wing Brandon Miller remains one of the top prospects in the NBA Draft but according to Jonathan GIvony of ESPN, teams have not been satisfied with his sealed lips regarding his involvement in the January shooting that took the life of 23-year-old Jamea Harris.

Hornets, Trail Blazers aren’t satisfied with Brandon Miller’s answers

“On talent he should be the No. 2 pick in the draft and I believe if the draft were held tonight, he would be the No. 2 pick in the draft,” Givony said on The Woj Pod with Adrian Wojnarowski. “But there’s a process that’s going to play out here with Charlotte, with Portland. They have questions that still need to be answered.”

At the NBA Combine, Miller presented teams with a legal document explaining the shooting and his involvement, but he wouldn’t talk about the incident himself or give teams a play-by-play of what happened.

“That’s not good enough for teams. They have to answer to ownership and fanbases…” Givony said. “I just think that that’s not going to suffice for them. On one hand they’re saying he did nothing wrong. He isn’t being accused of any crimes. He’s not under investigation. He’s free and clear, in the words of his camp. On the other hand, they’re saying we can’t talk about it. So that’s where some of that uncertainty comes from. [Teams] are saying, but why?”

Miller hasn’t been charged with a crime but that doesn’t mean he couldn’t be sued by Harris’ family or have other details emerge that change his situation. A police investigator testified in court that Miller brought the firearm that ultimately killed Harris, which was not his, to the scene of the crime after his Alabama teammate, Darius Miles, texted him. Miller has maintained he was just returning to pick Miles up.

Miller has until June 22 to give Charlotte or Portland the answers and reassurances they want.

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