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The Charlotte Hornets finally got the chance to properly introduce Charles Lee as their head coach after being hired about seven weeks ago.
Lee was a little busy winning an NBA championship with the Boston Celtics, so he gets a pass since he'll attempt to breed a winning culture in a different city. Lee had plenty of positive things to say about the opportunity with the Hornets after spending 10 years as an assistant coach with the Atlanta Hawks, Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics.
New Hornets coach has philosophies in place already
“My time as an assistant coach helped me grow,” Lee said. “The biggest thing I've learned was the importance of relationships, consistency, and togetherness. The preparation we're going to put in with each other is going to be important.”
The most ironic thing about all of that is that the process has already started. A few players like Brandon Miller, LaMelo Ball, Grant Williams, and others did show up to see their head coach get introduced. He's building camaraderie in the summer time and making up for the lost time since he was selected for the position.
Charles Lee leans on championship experience to be a factor in Charlotte
Lee has won two titles as an assistant coach. One in Milwaukee back with the Bucks in 2021 and more recently with the Boston Celtics in 2024. He let the media know what those experiences did for him to get to this stage.
“It helped show me what is important to winning at the highest level. It takes a lot of work from the players, coaches, and even the front office. We're in a really good from a front office standpoint and it's really exciting. From a players standpoint, these guys want to work. All they've said is ‘Hey coach, what do you need from me'. All the players just want to work.”
Lee was apart of two championship winning coaching staffs and has been around a lot of good players such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Al Horford and more. Being around experienced players rubs off of guys. Lee likely has a treasure trove of basketball savvy to fall back on.
Charles Lee was never overwhelmed with having two jobs momentarily
Lee did accept the job with Charlotte back in early May, but he needed some time before he actually started since he was helping Boston win a title. Still, that didn't phase him much at all.
“It was exciting, I didn't feel overwhelmed by any stretch of the imagination,” Lee said about balancing the two responsibilities. “You get to be apart of a championship caliber and then I get to be the head coach of the Charlotte Hornets.”
Charles Lee seems excited for his first shot as a lead man on the sideline, and his players likely are, too. Lee is a young head coach in the association, which probably makes him more relatable to his players more than anything. Maybe communication and chemistry could improve with him leading the charge. Of course this is not a knock at Steve Clifford. All his players praised his impact on their careers. Maybe it was just time for a new voice in the locker room.
The 2024 NBA Draft is basically upon us. Let's see where general manager Jeff Peterson decides to go with the draft pick to continue to build the conation of this team competing for something next season.
