New Assistant Charles Lee Bringing ‘Contagious’ Energy To Celtics

The Boston Celtics reportedly weren’t the only NBA team after the services of Charles Lee this offseason.

The Celtics won the sweepstakes, though, gaining a top assistant for Joe Mazzulla’s staff. It’s evident why Lee was so coveted and seen as someone who is a head coach in waiting. He has plenty of experience, having successfully served under Mike Budenholzer for nine seasons with the Atlanta Hawks and most recently the Milwaukee Bucks.

But according to Lee’s former colleague Blaine Mueller, who was an assistant with the Bucks from 2018 to 2023, Lee brings so much more to the table that should excite the Celtics.

“He’s always positive,” Mueller told the Athletic’s Jay King. “Always optimistic. Like, he’s completely undeterred by anything going on. It doesn’t matter the stage of the season, won 15 in a row, lost five in a row. He’s going to come in with a positive spirit and attitude and approach. It’s just contagious, his enthusiasm for life in general but also the game and working.”

The Celtics have been high on Lee for a couple of years now. King reported the Celtics “showed interest” in Lee for their head coaching position when Brad Stevens moved from the sideline to the front office, but instead went with Ime Udoka.

To go along with his uplifting manner, Lee is also heralded for developing players. He’s credited with transforming Khris Middleton into an All-Star and helping Grayson Allen become a starter with the Bucks. He also has a connection to a Celtics starter already, too.

“His workouts were so creative and at the same time intentional,” Mueller told King. “He got their attention, he’d get them engaged in a workout, maybe do something different and unique, with the end goal that we need to improve X, Y and Z. … He leverages the fact that he’s done the work in building and creating this relationship of care. Like, they know he genuinely cares about them so then he can hold them accountable.

“It’s not going to be the rough and tough, bark and scream (way) — he has his own way with his personality and the time and energy he pours into a guy. And he can turn around and be like, ‘We need you to do this.’ He just pours so much into it personally that on a professional level he can turn around and get the most out of guys and hold them accountable. … It’s the all-encompassing holistic (view). Yes, the court matters but the human matters so much more and that human component can feed into the player component and can be a huge part of getting them better.”