Charlotte used the No. 2 choice in the NBA Draft on June 22 on Brandon Miller, but that didn’t prompt the Hornets to have the former Alabama forward in the starting lineup for their preseason opener on Tuesday night.

Instead, the rookie had two blocks of playing time that totaled 21:31 in Charlotte’s 113-109 loss to the Miami Heat.

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Miller finished with eight points, three rebounds, three assists, one steal, three turnovers and one foul. He shot 3-of-9 from the floor, missing all four of his 3-point attempts, and made both his free throws.

Miller came in for Gordon Hayward with 3:41 left in the first quarter. Miller scored his first points 10 later with two free throws.

Miller’s first shot – a 14-foot pullup jumper – went in, too, with 35.8 left in the first period, and before the end of the quarter, he had his first rebound and first turnover, too.

Miller assisted on former Auburn standout JT Thor’s 3-pointer to open the second quarter, but he missed his three shots in the period before leaving with 5:49 left in the first half.

Miller returned to the floor with 3:49 left in the third quarter, and he stayed in the lineup for the final period in Miami.

Miller sank a 7-foot fadeaway jumper to break an 80-80 tie with 11:08 to play, and his 15-foot fadeaway jumper put Charlotte ahead 88-83 with 9:43 remaining.

When Miller left with 4:10 to play, the Hornets held a 102-95 lead.

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Miller came into the preseason after playing in two games in the California Classic and three games in the NBA Summer League in July. He averaged 15.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. Miller made 24-of-63 shots, including 10-of-32 on 3-pointers, and 18-of-23 free-throw attempts.

Charlotte will resume its preseason schedule on Thursday night, when the Hornets visit the Washington Wizards. Charlotte concludes its preseason slate with home games against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday and Boston Celtics on Oct. 19.

The Hornets tip off the regular season on Oct. 25, when the Atlanta Hawks visit the Spectrum Center in Charlotte at 6 p.m. CDT.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.