Hornets Exercise 25-26 Options On Brandon Miller, Nick Smith Jr., Mark Williams

Miller, the second overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, has appeared in 75 games (69 starts) for his career, recording 17.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 31.9 minutes per contest. He connected on 184 3-pointers last season, the fourth-most by a rookie in NBA history behind only Keegan Murray (206), Donovan Mitchell (187) and Damian Lillard (185). He became the 11th rookie in NBA history to average 15.0 points and 2.0 3-pointers per game, and among this group, only Stephen Curry (.437) shot a higher percentage from 3 than Miller (.373). Miller was a Rookie of the Year finalist, an All-Rookie First Team selection, a three-time Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month honoree and a Rising Stars participant, in addition to being named to the USA Select Team in the summer.

Smith Jr. led all rookies in 3-point percentage (.432) last season and has tallied 5.9 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists across 51 outings for his career. He poured in career highs in points (24), field goals (nine) and 3-pointers (six) while matching his personal best with six rebounds in a win at Cleveland (April 14) last season, and he erupted for 17 points and five 3-pointers in the fourth quarter vs. Denver (Dec. 23). His five 3s were the most in a quarter by a Hornets rookie since at least 1996-97. Smith Jr. was originally selected by the Hornets in the first round (27^th overall) of the 2023 NBA Draft.

Williams has registered 10.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 62 appearances (36 starts) for his career. He made 18 straight field goals from Nov. 4-8 last season, the longest streak in franchise history, and he netted a career-high 27 points at Indiana (Nov. 4). Williams collected 21 points and a career-high 24 rebounds, including a franchise-record 15 offensive boards, at Washington (Nov. 10). The Hornets selected Williams in the first round (15^th overall) of the 2022 NBA Draft.