Hornets hire Charles Lee as next head coach

Hornets hire Charles Lee as next head coach

Over a month after head coach Steve Clifford announced that he will transition into a front office role at the end of the 2023-24 season, the Charlotte Hornets have found his replacement.

The Hornets have elected to hire Boston Celtics assistant Charles Lee as their next head man, NBA insider Shams Charania of The Athletic was among the first to report Thursday.

The Charlotte Hornets announce the franchise has hired Boston Celtics assistant Charles Lee as their new head coach. Lee has spent the last 11 years as a highly-respected assistant in Atlanta, Milwaukee and Boston. pic.twitter.com/HGaXiE0pzL

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 9, 2024

The team confirmed the hire shortly thereafter.

“We are excited to welcome Charles Lee as the head coach of Charlotte Hornets,” Jeff Peterson, the team’s executive vice president of basketball operations, said via release. “His high character and his ability to connect with players while also instilling a culture of accountability will serve us well as we construct a competitive team built for long-term success. Charles possesses a championship pedigree with a wide range of basketball knowledge and NBA experience, has a tremendous work ethic and is a great communicator. He shares our vision for this organization, and I look forward to partnering with him in building something special here in the Carolinas. I can’t wait for our Hornets community to meet Charles, his wife Lindsey and his beautiful daughters, and feel Charles’ passion for the game and the intensity of his desire to win.”

Lee, 39, has 10 years of coaching experience and was the Celtics’ top assistant this season under Joe Mazzulla. Prior to his arrival in Boston, he spent five seasons with the Atlanta Hawks and four more with the Atlanta Hawks under Mike Budenholzer.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the deal will be for four years. The Hornets finished tied with the Portland Trail Blazers for the third-worst record in the NBA at 21-61. Charlotte also had the third-worst adjusted offensive rating, second-worst adjusted defensive rating and worst adjusted NET Rating by 1.7 points per 100 possessions, according to Dunks and Threes.

I think this could end up being a good hire for Charlotte. Though this team, led by LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, has plenty of questions on its hands. Lee has been a part of multiple very good teams–especially on the defensive end of the floor, where the mountain is steepest.

But the biggest question is whether or not Lee will maximize either one of Ball or Miller–assuming both remain with the team–as well as the ancillary talent that Peterson surrounds him with this offseason and beyond.

You not only need talent to win in the NBA, but a good defensive infrastructure, functional size, complementary shooting, athleticism and players who excel in their roles, among other things. It remains to be seen if Charlotte, who hasn’t made the playoffs since 2015-16, can build that.

“The opportunity to be the head coach of the Charlotte Hornets is a dream come true,” Lee said via statement. “The Hornets have a talented young core of players and I’m excited about our future and what we can build here. There are few places as passionate about basketball as the Carolinas, and I look forward to coming to Charlotte and getting to work.”

What do you think about this hire? Let us know in the comments!

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