What went wrong in Minnesota? How Charles Lee reacted after Hornets’ loss to Timberwolves
Frustrating outings are already adding up for the Charlotte Hornets.
Looking to erase the sting of their fruitless two-game series against the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics over the weekend, the Hornets did the exact opposite on Monday night. They were outmatched and didn’t have nearly enough to hang with the Minnesota Timberwolves, dropping a rough 114-93 defeat at Target Center, pushing their losing skid to three straight games.
Little went right for the Hornets against the Timberwolves, and their defensive difficulties continued, exacerbated by the absence of Charlotte’s top centers in Mark Williams and Nick Richards. Not having either made it quite difficult for the Hornets to contain Minnesota’s inside attack of Rudy Gobert and Naz Reid.
“Give a little bit of credit to Minnesota for their physicality and their length,” coach Charles Lee said. “But I also think we got some good shots in that first half, didn’t knock them down, obviously wasn’t shooting it well from three on the game. But I thought the guys were finding some really good looks.
“And then I thought in that second half, there were some periods in the third quarter where we just turned it over too often or didn’t get a good enough look.”
Lee want to see the Hornets (2-5) cut back on the strings of consecutive miscues.
“Mistakes happen, so if we turn it over one time, some of the messaging to the team is, ‘How do we value the possession going forward?’” Lee said. “On that next possession, let’s make sure we are a little tighter or we run something that’s going to help put us in better position not to over-dribble or to not make that pass on-time, on-target.
“So, I can’t wait to go back and watch the film. Some of the turnovers that happened in the second quarter also started a little bit of a separation.”
Here’s what else Lee had to say of note after the Hornets lost for the fifth time in their past six games:
On coaching LaMelo Ball
“Yeah, it’s a great partnership, a lot of communication and me understanding that he has such a creative mind,” Lee said. “And so (it’s) trying to connect with his creative mind. I do think that he’s a visual learner, too. So, the film sessions have been really productive when he and I can sit down and say, ‘This is what’s expected of you. And this is the level, the depth I need you to get to in the pick-and-roll coverage or closing the gap looks like this.’
“Or offensively with our running habits. So, I think that he’s taken to a lot of it and (it’s) just his open-mindedness of trying to do a little bit differently. And I just love the fact that he’s asking questions. He’s curious. ‘OK, you want me to do this? How do I do that better?’ And so having those mature conversations with him have been a joy.”
On what Lee has learned being a head coach:
“It’s, ‘I get to do this?’” Lee said. “Which is amazing. But it’s definitely been a whirlwind of information when it comes your way. So as an assistant, I think maybe you have a couple of things in game that you’re supposed to be focused on and hitting the head coach with. And now, all those things are on your plate. You want to call one play, but you’ve also got to be mindful of this guy’s minutes and this and that. And then maybe an official is asking you a question.
“So, just trying to get used to the dynamics of the in-game stuff has been the biggest thing. But it’s been phenomenal having great players that have been helpful and open-minded, and also having a great support staff, the coaches, the assistant coaches, the front office and our performance staff. We’ve hired a lot of new people and it’s been fun just kind of figuring out and building a foundation with all these people.”
