Brandon Miller agrees to a five-year, $209 million extension with the Hornets

The Charlotte Hornets are betting big on Brandon Miller.

The forward agreed Monday to a five-year, $209 million rookie-scale contract extension, according to his representatives. The deal keeps the No. 2 pick in the 2023 NBA draft in Charlotte for the long haul.

A breakout year

Miller turns 24 next month. He is coming off the best season of his career. He averaged 20.2 points and 4.9 rebounds in 65 regular-season games and made 38.3% of his 3-pointers.

Staying on the floor made all the difference. Miller played in only 27 games the season before. Last year he was healthy for most of the way and the Hornets felt it. Charlotte went 41-24 with him in the lineup and 3-14 without him.

He and then-rookie Kon Knueppel led a surprise push in the second half of the season. The Hornets made the play-in tournament before falling in their second play-in game.

Healthy again

A shoulder injury cost Miller part of the start of last season. He had surgery in May to stabilize the shoulder. He has fully recovered and played for Charlotte this preseason.

His team now

Miller enters his fourth NBA season with a much bigger role. Charlotte traded away longtime cornerstones LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges this offseason. That leaves Miller as the clear centerpiece of the rebuild.

The new contract makes it official. The Hornets are building around him.