Charlotte Hornets head coach Charles Lee said he prefers to take a positive approach to things and not focus on negatives. Jim Dedmon USA TODAY NETWORK
Still immersed in the first season calling the shots from the end of the bench, Charles Lee has experienced a range of emotions accompanying the seemingly endless grind.
Joined at the hip with the term “daily improvement,” the Charlotte Hornets coach expresses his thoughts and visions in measured fashion, often minus a scowl or fiery glare. He’s not overly critical publicly of the players and rarely admonishes individuals, leaving some looking on from the outside questioning whether he’s too nice.
But given the circumstances the Hornets have dealt with over the past six months — navigating a bevy of injuries, a rescinded trade and a heaping pile of losses — his reasoning for refusing to blow his top during post-game news conferences isn’t complicated. He simply opts to take a different approach.
“Human nature is to try to find the negatives, try to find the wrongs,” Lee said. “And that’s the easy thing to do. It’s the easy way to find some comfort. And the place that I like to live and the place that we like to live is finding the positives and what are the growth areas we have seen.”
That hasn’t been as difficult lately, with the Hornets almost alternating wins and losses for the better part of the past week-plus — a trend that continued with a 141-106 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center on Friday night following Thursday night’s spirited victory over the New York Knicks.
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) dribbles down the court against the Charlotte Hornets during the first quarter at Paycom Center. Alonzo Adams USA TODAY NETWORK
Stocked with championship experience from his days as an assistant with Milwaukee and Boston, Lee intends on doing things his way. And the 40-year-old’s means of how he delivers his message, whether it’s behind the scenes or in front of a microphone, isn’t changing.
Apparently, there’s no need.
“The biggest thing is he cares and you want to be coachable, you want to have your coach be hard and stuff,” Jusuf Nurkic said. “I so far believe that he is really what I saw, just toward me and my teammates and how he carries himself in practices and games, that they usually come from a good place. He’s trying to coach, he’s trying to say what’s wrong, what we’ve got to do better.
“And that’s what it’s about. It’s basketball. You have to take criticism in the right direction and I think he’s really found the right (way). So, I love it so far.”
Nurkic isn’t the only one who’s quickly taken to Lee’s style despite having zero knowledge about the 40-year-old previously. Same goes for Josh Okogie, the other former Phoenix Suns player who came to Charlotte via the trade route.
Lee left little doubt about his expectations for Okogie.
“He told me what he needed the first day we met, the first day I got traded,” Okogie said. “He’s pretty straightforward and direct, so I knew what was asked of me, what he wanted me to do. So, it was kind of straightforward like I said and kind of easy to comply.”
Okogie is a veteran, fully aware of the intricate details that it takes to help be successful as a pro. On a team loaded with early twentysomethings, he’s more of the exception.
Which is why Lee isn’t about to fully admonish his crew too much. At least not yet.
“I think we have a lot of players that have never played in an NBA game before that are now playing in NBA games and showing that they belong,” Lee said, “and have kind of helped give us some production and given us a chance to win some games. I think that we’ve seen some guys play more games this year than they did last year.
“Statistically, some guys are having better years than they did last year. So, it’s all a part of the process, part of the growing pains, part of the injury stuff. But I think our group, as players, as staff members, we are trying to focus on all the positives and all the good things that are happening with this team.”
Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) walks to the bench during a time out against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first quarter at Paycom Center. Alonzo Adams USA TODAY NETWORK
That, however, doesn’t mean there aren’t myriad occasions when Lee lets the Hornets have it, ripping into them when some of the core principles he’s attempting to instill aren’t being followed. And it doesn’t matter who it is.
Anyone can feel Lee’s wrath, whether it’s star guard LaMelo Ball, a rookie or the new guy.
“Yeah, the main thing Coach stays on us about is defense,” Miles Bridges said. “Defense and our effort. If those two boxes aren’t checked, he’s cool. But if we are not playing defense, if we are not giving effort, he’s going to get on our ass. He’s a positive coach, but at the same time he knows when to step it up.”
That selective approach is appreciated.
“He does it at the right time a lot,” Bridges said. “He does it at the right time, gets us going. But he shouldn’t even need to do that to get us going, and that’s been our problem all year. So, we’ve got to bring our own energy so he doesn’t have to do it a lot.”
The Charlotte Observer
Roderick Boone joined the Observer in September 2021 to cover the Charlotte Hornets and NBA. In his more than two decades of writing about the world of sports, he’s chronicled everything from high school rodeo to a major league baseball no-hitter to the Super Bowl to the Finals. The Long Island native has deep North Carolina roots and enjoys watching “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” endlessly.