In the opening games of Brandon Miller’s NBA career, Charlotte Hornets coach Steve Clifford has noted some things about the former Alabama All-American’s game and personality that he thinks gives the forward “a great future.”

“He’s far better than I thought he’d be this early,” Clifford said on Saturday. “I think, one, is he played in a great college program, he played for a really good college coach. Two, I’m thinking the more I get to know him, his dad played football at Alabama, I think he comes from a family where – you know like the other night in New York, he turns his ankle in the first half, and they say, ‘Hey, maybe you should sit out.’ And he said, ‘Wrap it up,’ then went out there and played. You don’t get a lot of younger players who are like that anymore. And then he went out and played the second half and actually played pretty well. He was limping around a little bit, but he has more of an old-school-type outlook on this whole thing.”

In addition to his background with coach Nate Oats at Alabama and his toughness, the rookie also has quick wits going for him, too, Clifford said.

“The other one, which I think is so, so important, is he learns very easily,” Clifford said. “These guys are not coming up in youth basketball like they used to where they’re getting a foundation of teaching at a young age. When you teach him something, he can do it pretty quickly. It’s a big deal. It’s a big deal. It’s a talent. When you’re around great players, a lot of times you can show them something one time and they can do it that night in a game. Same thing with a scheme or a play – show them in the morning and they go through.

“We’re not getting as many of those guys anymore. They’re just not brought up that way anymore. They don’t learn the basics anymore. They play one-on-zero with the coach all the time, and they pay him, but they don’t know how to play like they used to. Basketball IQ is way down. Learning how to learn is way down. And he’s the opposite of that. He picks things up quickly. He’s very attentive. You can watch film with him, he asks questions. He’s a throwback-type kid.”

The Hornets selected Miller with the No. 2 pick in the NBA Draft on June 22 after he averaged 18.8 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 37 games and won the SEC Player of the Year Award for the 2022-23 season with the Crimson Tide.

Miller has averaged 14.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists while playing 31.1 minutes in 16 games this season. He reached his career high with 29 points while sinking 5-of-7 3-point shots in a 122-108 loss to the New York Knicks on Nov. 18.

Among the 2023 draft picks, Miller ranks first in minutes played per game and second in points per game (behind No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs at 19.3).

“He’s one of the best two or three rookies,” Clifford said on Tuesday. “He’s a total player. This is a big rookie class with a lot of talent. He’s played a major role, played major minutes. He’s guarded primary scorers. We execute when he’s on the floor. He’s a terrific worker. He’s got a great future.”

Charlotte returns to the court against the Chicago Bulls at 7 p.m. CST Wednesday at the United Center in Chicago.

The Hornets have a 6-12 record this season. While Charlotte ranks 16th among the 30 NBA teams in scoring with an average of 113.8 points per game, the Hornets are 26th in scoring defense, yielding an average of 122.2 points per game.

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