Hornets’ success hinges on emulating Celtics (but not in the way you expect)

After starting the 2024-25 campaign with a 2-2 record, the Charlotte Hornets have gone 3-7 to slide to a bottom-five seeding in the Eastern Conference.

It isn't such a bad thing, though, as they weren't really expected to contend for a playoff spot. The likely priority for the young team is to develop its core players and build the right foundation. If that's indeed the case, the organization and its fans need as much patience as possible.

Finding a model to follow in the footsteps of should also help. And what better franchise is there than the Boston Celtics? After all, they have experienced sustained success, including winning the 2024 championship. It's worth noting Charles Lee was also a part of that title run, having served as an assistant coach for the Celtics last season.

Hornets must mimic Celtics' major adjustment in the 2023 offseason

One of the challenges Charlotte has faced this year is an inefficient offense. Only the injury-ravaged Philadelphia 76ers have shot a worse field-goal percentage. If it weren't for the Hornets' high-volume 3-point shooting, their average scoring and offensive rating would probably rank worse.

Injuries have likely played a role in their shooting struggles. However, the onus to be creative and resourceful on offense falls largely on Lee.

It has become apparent that the rookie head coach still has a long way to go before being recognized as one of the better coaches in the NBA.

Many of the Hornets' losses have come down to their inability to hold leads once the defense had settled in. They have relied too much on iso-ball, and opponents have taken advantage of their lack of an extensive offensive playbook. Lee's substitution pattern and rotation decision have also been suspect in several of Charlotte's matches.

Doubling down on a 3-point-heavy scheme like the Celtics have done might not suffice for Charlotte. What the front office has to do is examine how Boston overhauled its coaching staff in the summer of 2023.

Before that fateful offseason, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla had been panned for looking like a deer in the headlights in his first year as Ime Udoka's replacement. Some people noted that aside from Mazzulla's questionable decisions, none of the assistant coaches who sat beside him on the bench had stood out. On the flip side, his ability to connect with his players and motivate them received commendation from inside and outside the organization.

Rather than fire the up-and-coming coach, the Celtics changed his supporting cast. Among their notable hires were Sam Cassell, who many believe is good enough to be a head coach, and Lee, who had been an assistant coach in the NBA since 2014, a stint that included helping the Milwaukee Bucks clinch the 2021 championship.

What resulted was Mazzulla's transformation into one of the best coaches in the league and, of course, a successful title run. The Joe Mazz-Celtics partnership can serve as a great case study for the Hornets in their quest to empower Lee and lift the team out of mediocrity in the following years.