What Charles Lee said about return of Miles Bridges, Mark Williams’ first start in a year
Charles Lee unwrapped a couple of early presents Friday night. But apparently, some assembly is still required.
The Charlotte Hornets coach welcomed back two key rotation players, bringing his team closer to full strength following a four-day break courtesy of not making the knockout stage of the NBA Cup.
Miles Bridges and Tidjane Salaün returned from injury, and Bridges retook his familiar post in the starting lineup in the Hornets’ 109-95 loss to the Chicago Bulls at United Center. Having Bridges back in the fold after a 10-game absence due to re-aggravating a right knee bone bruise gave Lee an opportunity to do something he penciled in during the summer: putting Bridges alongside Mark Williams on their front line.
That happened against the Bulls, thanks to Lee giving Williams his first start in a year, representing a fairly significant step in the ramping-up process for the third-year center.
“I thought they had good games,” Lee said. “Miles, I think you see what he can bring to our offense, in terms of being able to be a pick-and-roll handler, off ball catch-and-shoot guy or off ball driver and playmaker.
“And then defensively, I thought that his communication was really good, his rebounding. So, I’m encouraged. And I thought Mark had some good spurts on both ends of the floor, too.”
Williams came off the bench in his initial three appearances and didn’t play in the second half of any of them, which was all part of the plan after missing the Hornets’ first 20 games while recovering from a strained tendon in his left foot. But in joining a starting unit that included Bridges, Vasa Micic, Brandon Miller and Josh Green — and playing in both halves — he’s making incremental progress and giving indicators he’s settling in.
Williams, who posted 15 points and nine rebounds in 17 minutes, made his presence felt from the opening tip in his short five-minute first-quarter stint. A dunk, push shot in the lane and a block highlighted the 7-footer’s quick burst, another positive sign as he continues to knock off the rust and increase his conditioning levels.
“It felt good,” Williams said. “Shoutout to my teammates for keeping my head in it, staying solid. But it felt good. Obviously, the intention was to win the game. This is a small piece of it. We were short in doing that, but I definitely felt good.
“There’s a lot of stuff I need to improve on individually and we can improve on collectively. But I think with each game I’m getting more and more comfortable with time increasing each game.”
Williams’ performance pleases Lee. As does reincorporating Bridges and Salaün.
“Definitely more depth, more versatility,” Lee said. “I’m super proud of our guys. No matter who’s been available, there hasn’t been any excuses made and there’s just been an overall competitiveness. But the one thing that we gain from those two guys is more competitiveness. But also offensively I think they help us create different types of shots, some better shot opportunities because of their ability to get a piece of the paint.
“Tidjane, his catch-and-shoot is improving every game and Miles is a force also on the offensive glass. We’ve been able to run a lot of our (after-timeout plays) through him as well because his playmaking skills have been really good. I think defensively, both of those guys bring a versatility, a physicality where we can switch, we can be in center field with them. They give us a lot more depth and versatility.”
However, as the Hornets (7-18) inch toward full strength awaiting LaMelo Ball’s return, it poses another challenge. And it was obvious against the Bulls.
Many of the lineups Lee utilized — he even had newcomer Isaiah Wong on the court for a good stretch running backup point guard — never had much, if any, practice time together.
It led to some discombobulation, fueling rushed shots and turnovers the Bulls cashed in frequently, also causing issues on the glass for the Hornets. That should be somewhat expected, though, especially with Williams and Bridges each sitting out for so many games.
“Just catching my wind, getting into my rhythm,” Bridges said. “That’s the main thing. I thought we could have played better on defense, including myself. But it’ll get better as the games go on.
“We’ve got to play with more pace, with more physicality. Once we do that, I feel like there’s not too many teams that can beat us. So, we are going to play better in our next game.”
