SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The second game of the opening night of the California Classic was initially billed as a matchup of the two top selections in last month’s NBA Draft, deeming it good enough to be televised by ESPN.
But San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyana is taking a pass on the games at the Golden 1 Center, meaning the spotlight shifted squarely to the summer league debut of the Charlotte Hornets’ No. 2 overall pick, Brandon Miller. Even though Miller was featured in a starting lineup that boasted three teammates who’ve played in the NBA, the paying customers made it clear during the Hornets’ pregame introductions they were there to get a look-see the guy wearing the white No. 24 jersey.
They cheered Miller’s name and an usher or two joined in applauding the 20-year-old, perhaps hoping it would warm him up and make him hotter than the dusty 90-degree heat engulfing the state’s capital city. For a while, that was the pinnacle moment of an otherwise ho-hum night for Miller.
