Charlotte Hornets finally ran first practice under coach Charles Lee. What stood out?
There was something unmistakable emanating from inside the Michael W. Krzyzewski Center, a foreign sound that makes one do a double take while listening.
Instead of piping in ear-splitting tunes featuring a chart-topping rapper trying to juice up the atmosphere in the cavernous gym, another tune wafted from the Bluetooth speakers that might’ve had outsiders thinking an actual game was going on. And these lyrics were pretty simple to recite, too, especially since they form a well-known chant.
Nearly every known defensive jingle that blares in NBA arenas, imploring the crowd to get louder when the opposing team has the ball, blasted throughout the Duke University facility as the Charlotte Hornets wrapped up their first official practice in preparation for the 2024-25 season on Tuesday. That’s a rarity at any level, but it was a reality for the Hornets.
“It’s going to be noise, so we’ve got to talk,” Miles Bridges said. “And that was the main focus right there, just us communicating through the outside noise.”
Consider this life with coach Charles Lee, a snippet of how the Hornets plan to operate under the guidance of the 39-year-old. From the moment Lee took the job, he’s consistently harped on the need for improvement on the defensive side of the game.
That directive hasn’t changed one bit over the last three-plus months.
“On our coaching staff and our program, it’s on the top of the list for us,” Lee said. “So, that’s why we wanted to start training camp with our first drill being defense. Every film session we have is going to start with defense. I’ve learned, as I’ve gone through this journey as an assistant and a coach, that you end up getting good at the things that you emphasize.
“So, we are just going to continue to emphasize it and eventually it’s going to sink in. A lot of it is a mindset and we have to be willing to do it consistently.”
Defense has been a thorny issue for the Hornets over the past few seasons, creating a team-wide problem that had to be addressed. Charlotte ranked last in defense in the league at the February trade deadline, yielding 121.8 points per 100 possessions, and held just one opponent under 100 points in their first 53 games.
But in the immediate aftermath of the roster tweaking, when they shipped Gordon Hayward and PJ Washington out of town, that number improved dramatically to 99.9 points per 100 possessions. So, it can be done.
It’s simply a matter of desire and Lee intends on continuously reminding everyone.
“We talked about (how) we want to be really good in transition, we want to protect the paint and we want to finish possessions at a really high level,” Lee said. “So, a lot of the drills that we put in place addressed every area and really fine tuned the techniques we want in each of those areas too. And I thought the guys, they’ve brought a level of competitiveness to it, open-mindedness.
“We have to be able to change some habits, and change some terminology and so some things differently. And again, I thought the level of togetherness was great.”
Lee even has his own personal vernacular, bringing it along with him after gathering knowledge at his previous stops One term he utilizes is M.I.G, and it frequently rolls off his tongue.
Don’t try to look up the definition in Webster’s dictionary, though.
“Most Important Guy,” Lee said. “A great acronym that I’ve learned and I put a little bit of a twist on it now where it’s the guy on the ball. Early on I learned that it was the weak side bottom guy that’s got to come over and be there as the safety valve. But now I just think the first layer — or really the second layer because transition defense is probably your first layer — is to keep the ball in front of you.
“So, (it’s) taking that individual challenge and having individual pride to want to keep the guy in front of you.”
Apparently, that message was heeded during their initial session, which had a different vibe. Even though “it feels like the first day back at school” as described by LaMelo Ball, the Hornets seemed to enjoy Lee’s operation.
The overall mood was a bit boisterous and obvious to detect.
“It’s a lot more energy,” Bridges said. “We are way more excited. I feel like we have expectations on our head this year, so we just want to deliver. We have all the pieces, we have a good point guard, good backup point guard. We’ve got scorers off the bench, we’ve got guys that can guard and we’ve got big men.
“Once Mark (Williams) gets back, we will have all our big men. But we’ve got pieces this year and our rookies are coming along well. So, I think we are going to be pretty good.”
Bridges’ good buddy co-signed that.
“Yeah, for sure,” Ball said. “I mean, it’s self explanatory, the way they look, they talk. Drive, jump shooting, we’ve got everything. We’ve just got to compete. We’ve got to compete every night.”
Judging by Lee’s early command on things, that shouldn’t be much of a problem. He’s in full control and already has the players’ attention, quickly establishing himself as the team’s head voice.
He’s immersed in the arduous task, which finally officially began after weeks of anticipation. And he soaked up every second.
“Just like the players, I wanted them to make the most of the opportunity and I tried to do the same thing and be present in the moment,” Lee said. “I understand how special of an honor it is to have this position, and so I just wanted to make the most of it.
“By being the coach of the Charlotte Hornets, it’s now my job to help these guys maximize their abilities. And so I thought I made the most of it by coaching them up and putting them in the right spots and getting the most of them.”
This story was originally published October 1, 2024 at 6:20 PM.
