The Charlotte Hornets took their sweet time in finding their new head coach. Since Steve Clifford moved to a front-office capacity within the franchise, they need to find a capable basketball brain who can maximize the talent in the Hornets roster.
They covered all of their bases in their search for a new head coach. JJ Redick was highly touted to take over the role, but they decided to go in a different direction and chose a coach who has become instrumental to the success of one of the best teams in the league this season.
Charlotte Hornets choose Boston assistant Charles Lee to take over Steve Clifford
Alex Butler of UPI reported the Hornets hiring Lee, who is helping the Celtics win the series over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
He detailed the vast experience Lee has that convinced the organization’s top brass to select him over the myriad of candidates who applied:
Lee, 39, started his coaching career in 2012 as an assistant at Bucknell. He joined the NBA ranks in 2014, working as an assistant for the Atlanta Hawks. Lee also served as an assistant for the Milwaukee Bucks from 2018 to 2023, before joining the Celtics staff last off-season.
Lee was on the Bucks’ staff when they won a franchise-record 60 games in 2018-19 and for their 2020-21 NBA Finals winning campaign. The Bucks led the NBA in points per game during both of those runs.
The Hornets most likely selected him because of his know-how on winning basketball. The fact that he was a part of the Bucks coaching staff that won it all in 2021 is proof of how great of a basketball mind he is. It also helps that the Celtics are among the toughest teams to play against this season.
Lee will have a good group of players to work with when he starts his position at the end of the season. LaMelo Ball is an incredible point guard who can easily take over games. The team also has good players in Miles Bridges and Terry Rozier.
It will be interesting to see how Lee’s stint as head coach will pan out, and Charlotte Hornets fans hope he’ll bring more wins to their team next season.
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