How can the Hornets have a successful season? Charles Lee provides his three keys
Not long after completing the final grueling practice before Wednesday’s 2024-25 season opener, just hours before the games start counting, Charles Lee is a picture of tranquility on the outside.
But internally?
“I feel the same way — cool and calm — and I can feel that way because I feel like we’re prepared,” the Charlotte Hornets’ first-year coach told The Observer on Monday, as they prepare for Wednesday’s opener at the Houston Rockets. “I think that we talked through a lot of situations offensively, defensively. We put in a good amount of information and I think it’s going to help us be competitive in the early part of the year.
“As the season continues to evolve, we’ll continue to evolve and will continue to put more things in on defense and on offense. But I feel great and a lot of it is because I have a really good team and a team that’s been open-minded the whole preseason. And they’ve been consistent with their work ethic and their work habits.”
Add it up and it equates to a peaceful elixir for Lee.
“I believe in them and that’s why I can have the calm that I have,” he said, “because I think the staff has done a great job of preparing them, of preparing me for a lot of situations. And we are going to see as the season goes on.”
That includes who will step up and be vocal, making sure others are accountable and pulling for the greater good. It’s one of the reasons the Hornets brought Taj Gibson in, hoping he’ll serve as a stabilizing presence in the locker room.
But so far, multiple players have apparently taken on the responsibility.
“I think that it’s just been like a collective leadership group if I’m being honest,” Lee said. “I think everyone is chipping in and doing their part in leading by example. Every day, there’s just been a consistency of work ethic in the building.”
Lee said that was evident in the aftermath of their preseason finale in Indiana, when they fell to the Pacers in overtime. The attitude was precisely what he’s looking for.
“We had to work the very next day,” Lee said. “Pretty tough loss. And it would have been natural for a lot of teams in the NBA to have the off day, or you come in the next day, and it’s just like a lot of sulking. And I thought I saw some growth and maturity from our team to come in the next day.
“It was high energy, it was high focus. A lot of people are just so bought in. So, I think it’s a collective group right now that’s lead by example.”
That’s not all.
“Vocally, it’s been a lot of the coaching staff, because we have just the most corporate knowledge of what we want to teach right now,” Lee said. “And then some of our veteran players, I think they’ve done a really good job of explaining to our younger players what’s expected of them, from an effort standpoint, but also just terminology of what the league is all about and personnel tendencies.”
Leaning on the team’s new health and performance department is also part of Lee’s job description. The Hornets accumulated the second-most player games lost due to injury over the past two seasons and it led to an overhaul of the training staff.
Lee knows understanding when to push the players and when to take the foot off the pedal is a fine balancing act, one that could have ramifications down the line.
“Yeah, as the coach, I definitely have to be mindful of what are we doing every day to make sure that I’m putting these guys in the best position to be available,” Lee said. “But injuries are part of the game, too. And so as much as I would love for us to be able to go through a whole season without any of them, we we are going to get some nicks, we are going to get some bruises. And I just think that we have to do our work on the front end. So, every day you come in this building, what are you doing for your body?
“Every day you don’t come in this building, what are you still doing for your body? And make sure you have those habits that are just consistent on and off court, to put you in the best position to deal with some of these nicks and bruises. And if you know, knock on wood, somebody has something a little bit more than a bruise. It will help your recovery process, because you’ve done so much on the front end to kind of put yourself in better position.”
Here’s something else that could keep some individuals from logging too many minutes at the season’s outset: Lee revealed he intends on going beyond the typical limited number of players utilized by most coaches, which could mean some court time for rookie Tidjane Salaün.
Usually, many coaches don’t play more than nine or 10. Lee was mum on specifics, but sounded like he intends on testing the Hornets’ depth within the first few weeks.
“I think every game will pose different types of rotations for us,” Lee said. “I’m excited to see a lot of guys play, though. I think a lot of guys have earned some minutes with their competitive efforts so far during training camp. And so as we kind of get into the season, I want to take a look at a bunch of people, and I think that as time goes on, maybe then all of a sudden, you shrink rotations.
“But I think early on I want to see a lot of guys play and evaluate.”
Consider it a necessity for the Hornets to have what Lee can deem as a successful campaign in his first full year at the end of the bench.
“It’s just about the daily improvement, to be honest,” Lee said. “And I just want to see growth in a lot of different areas. And part of that growth is banding together in all times. And so I think that as we continue to kind of grow throughout the year, we’re going to learn a lot about ourselves.
“And what I want see us do is just embrace the good times and also embrace the bad times. And take what we can from those moments and figure out, how can we just get better and come up with the right mindset to be open-minded?”
So what does that look like? Lee gave his three keys for the Hornets to reach success:
Always be competitive
What that means: “I just want to see our level of effort and competitiveness always be at a really high level.”
Overall togetherness
What that means: “Again, when things are going well, we have a tendency to always ride the high, and we’re talking and we’re chopping it up and everything. And then when things go a little bit bad for ourselves or the team as a whole, I want to still see us in that moment embrace the adversity and come together even more, band together to kind of get to those moments.”
Player development
What that means: “I think all of us — from the coach to the staff to the players — we all just got to continue better. And I think we’ve outlined a lot of growth opportunities for all of us. And those are the things I want us to work on every single day.”
