After a really rough start to the season, Brandon Miller has truly rounded into form. The first two games of the season were brutal, as Miller didn't score well or shoot well at all. After that, though, the Charlotte Hornets wing started to look like the player everyone expected.

His efficiency still isn't quite there, which is to be expected without Coby White and Kon Knueppel, but he's starting to look like he did make the leap. The leap that was supposed to get him the Most Improved Player award.

And while it's still early, several NBA insiders have seen his recent run and are salivating over it. NBA analyst Steve Jones said that you can "bookmark" Miller winning the MIP. He entered the season as the favorite, and that looks totally justified right now.

Kevin O'Connor was even more effusive: "This is a guy who looks like he's grown a lot. He's fluid, he's quick, he's confident, he's decisive, and he's reading what the defender's doing to give himself space for these shots. With his potential leap this year, with a Hornets collective leap... once Kon Knueppel is back, once Coby White is back, that's where things can start to make a lot of sense for the Charlotte Hornets."

For now, we're seeing what it's like when Miller is the man without his two best counterparts. Not only is Coby White, who will function as the primary facilitator, out, but Kon Knueppel, who will help Miller get much more space to operate, is also missing.

Even when Miller was struggling, it seemed obvious that he'd improve vastly once White and Knueppel got healthy. But now, it looks like Miller has unlocked the ability to thrive with or without them. That is a huge step for his development.

There are still things that need to be worked on. Miller needs to improve his efficiency, and he's got to get to the free-throw line a whole lot more often. He needs to create for others more, too.

But what Miller needed to do this year was prove that he could be the number one option without someone setting him up with perfect looks and getting more shots than him. So far, so good.

And if that continues, then it's not unreasonable to, as Jones said, bookmark an award for the fourth-year wing.