Hornets draft tracker: What’s the latest with Scoot Henderson and Brandon Miller?

With the California Classic Summer League tipping off with the Charlotte Hornets’ matchup against San Antonio on July 3, there’s a good chance the debuts of the two top overall selections in the draft later this month will take place in Sacramento instead of in the Las Vegas Summer League.

So, either Scoot Henderson or Brandon Miller could be on the court at Golden 1 Center going up against likely No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama. And although most of the top overall selections typically begin playing in Las Vegas, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver told the Associated Press he’s perfectly fine with the opening curtain potentially rising in Sacramento rather than in the desert.

“All summer leagues are NBA summer leagues,” Silver said. “I’m very supportive of the Sacramento summer league. I remember when (Kings owner Vivek Ranadive) first came to the league and said this was something he wanted to do. I said, ‘As long as you have enough other teams who support it and players who want to play in it, it’s a good thing.’”

Action in the Las Vegas Summer League is scheduled to begin on July 7. The Hornets will also participate in that event, giving their young, new arrivals plenty of time to get acclimated to the different style of play and learn a few of the team’s main philosophies under coach Steve Clifford.

This is the first time the Hornets are competing on both and they, along with San Antonio, should get plenty of exposure.

“What’s made the summer leagues so valuable are really the media rights more than the individuals who buy tickets there, because it’s a very affordable experience,” Silver said. “So, the answer is, I want Victor to get playing court experience and I think the team — assuming it’s San Antonio — should make decisions completely independent of any commercial implications from where he debuts.”

Henderson in Portland. Charlotte next?

Some ears perked up nationwide over the weekend when six words rolled off Scoot Henderson’s tongue following a pre-draft workout in Portland.

“I think there’s one more in Charlotte,” Henderson, an expected top-3 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft later this month, told reporters following his session with the Trail Blazers on Saturday.

It hasn’t happened yet, but Henderson will indeed be sporting the same practice attire as others who have shuffled through the Charlotte Hornets’ training facility during the past few weeks, showcasing their talents in front of the team’s personnel evaluators.

With Wembanyama bound for San Antonio as the No. 1 overall pick on June 22, the Hornets control what happens immediately after the Frenchman comes off the board. And barring an unforeseen twist, all indications point toward Charlotte either selecting Henderson, who played the past two seasons for the G League Ignite, or Alabama’s Miller.

Undoubtedly, the Hornets can’t wait to feast their collective eyes on Henderson since he didn’t participate in any of the drills or on-court activities during the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago last month. When it does happen, it appears Henderson’s session may look a little different than the others the Hornets have conducted.

Henderson has his own style: a strictly solo operation.

“For sure, that’s what I’ve been doing all summer, working out by myself,” Henderson told reporters. “No shade to any other prospects working with (others), but that’s what I do. That’s what I’ve been doing. Me and my sister and maybe like a few guys, but I prosper in one-on-one workouts.”

Miller is considered the best collegian in the draft and the Hornets could plug him in at the wing position, helping fill a need. Although he has yet to work out for Charlotte, he did speak with the Hornets at the combine and didn’t deny the meeting’s undertone. Specifically when it came to discussing him delivering the gun to the scene of a fatal shooting in Alabama in January that led to the arrest of former Alabama teammate Darius Miles. Miller was not charged with a crime.

“It was very serious,” Miller said last month, “just because I understand they have the second pick and they want to know who they are drafting. They asked me about the situation and also asked me about how I grew up, how I was raised, where I’m from. Just stuff like that.”

The direction the Hornets decide to go in at No. 2 in the draft will go a long way in determining the franchise’s direction over the next few years. The team also has four more picks — Nos. 27, 34, 39 and 41 — but No. 2 is the headliner. Stay tuned for additional information about Henderson and Miller will be tracked right here.