By the third day of training camp, the Charlotte Hornets knew they had someone special on their side.

Every time Brandon Miller received instruction from his coaching staff, it seemed to resonate with their standout freshman. The more they watched him, the more it became clear what the reigning SEC Player of the Year had to offer.

Miller, who scored 18 points in a 101-89 loss to the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night, didn’t need to be told twice. Already a solid defender and shooter after a nationally celebrated college career at Alabama, he knows he’s made an impression on his NBA teammates.

“Being a young leader,” Miller said after the game. “Being a young leader will help us in the long run.”

Miller, who was recently named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for the second time, played against Vasilije Micic earlier this year.

Micic was sent to the Hornets (15-47) after starting his NBA career with Oklahoma City and remembers their meeting on Feb. 2. It was a clear win for the Thunder, but it was impressive to see another rookie score like Miller did.

“He’s super talented,” said Micic, who scored a career-high 21 points on Tuesday. “We played them in OKC and he had a great game that night. I noticed some details that I liked about his skill set and his size. I think he has the right attitude.”

Miller has continued to exceed expectations since the Hornets selected him with the second overall pick in last year’s NBA Draft. Head coach Steve Clifford knew he would be a strong player, but analytically, the Hornets have determined that Miller has finished better at the basket and defended better this year than he did at Alabama.

Miller has become a regular in the lineup for the Hornets, who made a series of trades before the deadline that made the team even younger. He has gained weight and muscle while playing with Strength and conditioning coach Adam Linens.

“He is made for today’s NBA,” Clifford said of Millerwho averages 16.7 points per game. “Position size. He could defend for a really good defensive team in college – one through four. He was a long-range shooter and made big shot after big shot when he played for a good team. But I would say the other thing – which is hard to find – is his decision making. When he’s free, he shoots, when he’s not, he goes forward and cuts. And you don’t teach players that. Players do it naturally, or they don’t.

“So for me, position size, basketball IQ and competitiveness are all things that come naturally to him. When you play 82 times, you don’t go into the locker room with all these motivational stories. There are guys who care whether we play hard or not, and that was one of the things we knew he would do.”

Miller was allowed to compete against the NBA’s reigning top rookie, Paolo Banchero, on Tuesday evening.

The former Duke star turned heads at the Spectrum Center, leading the team with 22 points, but Miller also had success despite facing Orlando’s best defense. Miller sank a three-pointer late in the first half that cut the deficit to one point – making it 17 straight games with a three-pointer, just one shy of LaMelo Ball’s record of 18 three-pointers as a Hornets rookie.

The Magic sent their bigger defenders after Miller and often double-covered him, which took away his pick-and-roll opportunities.

Tuesday’s loss was no blowout, and Charlotte had a choppy game throughout. Technical fouls were called on both sides in the third quarter – the Hornets’ foul was on Clifford – and the lead went back and forth.

“I didn’t have any technical problems,” Miller said with a laugh. “I think it’s just the competition, everyone wanted to win. No team wants to lose like that, especially not in front of their home crowd.”