Former Celtics Assistant Sets Bar Before Head Coaching Debut With New Team

Charles Lee knew the end goal was to secure a head coaching gig, even when Joe Mazzulla hand-picked the 39-year-old last offseason to join the Boston Celtics. Now, as the clipboard commander of the Charlotte Hornets, the ex-top assistant of the reigning NBA champions will get his first chance.

Lee generated interest that ramped up midway through Boston’s playoff run. In April, the Hornets began expressing their interest in having Lee take over for Steve Clifford and in May, while the Celtics were in the middle of the Eastern Conference semifinals, it was announced that Lee landed the job. Understanding what it took for Boston to elevate and reach the top, Lee is already establishing his expectations for the young Hornets looking to move on from their 21-61 playoff miss last season.

“I think you figure out what your core values are. For me, I wanted culture enhancers. I thought that everybody I picked was going to do that,” Lee told Jared Weiss of The Athletic. “(Lamar Skeeter, Josh Longstaff and Chris Jent) were going to help us build a culture, they were going to enhance the culture with their hard work, creativity and energy.”

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Charlotte was the fourth-youngest team in the NBA last season with 10 players under the age of 25 on its roster. Hornets homegrown youngsters LaMelo Ball, 23, and Brandon Miller, 21, are viewed as the future of the franchise while Seth Curry and Taj Gibson are the seasoned veterans expected to provide guidance and tutelage. It’s an interesting mix of talent with eye-grabbing potential, however, it’s clear that Charlotte is in a rebuilding stage. The team doesn’t have the supplemental pieces surrounding Ball and Miller yet — nor the depth — but for Lee contention won’t be the immediate goal.

Lee is confident in navigating his vision for the team moving forward. As Mazzulla’s right-hand man last season, Lee got a front-row view of managing overwhelming championship expectations. During the process leading to Charlotte’s hire of him, Lee managed the task at hand — the Celtics’ chase for Banner 18 — and the long-awaited process of getting the stamp of approval from the Hornets simultaneously.

“You find a way. My biggest thing is I’m a problem solver, so I enjoyed having to figure out how are you going to balance these two things that you’re excited about,” Lee explained, per Weiss. “You have a quest for a championship with the Celtics and you have a quest to become a head coach of an NBA team.”