Charles Lee has become a somewhat polarizing figure around the Charlotte Hornets organization. The second-year head coach appears to have a fan in Zach Lowe, though, who shared on a recent episode of his show his observation that Lee has been building an "infrastructure" that is only waiting for the roster's talent level to catch up.
"There's a lot of evidence that Charles Lee and his staff have been building an infrastructure that's gonna be interesting when the talent catches up with the infrastructure," Lowe said.
Among the Hornets' statistics that have impressed Lowe are their average defensive rebounds, fouls, and free-throw attempts. It's great that someone of his reputation has been following Charlotte with gusto, as the squad is currently sixth in the league in defensive rebounds, seventh in fouls, fourth in opponent free-throw attempts, and 13th in trips to the charity stripe.
He also mentioned being in awe of the team's shot selection, which also holds water because it ranks 15th in the league in field-goal percentage, which is a colossal leap from its last-place finish in the stat last season.
Building a solid foundation in Charlotte
While Lowe seems to believe the Hornets are in good hands, there have been some folks who have called for Lee's head. It's easy to understand such a sentiment, though. For all of the coach's strengths, he has also been criticized for his occasionally limited offensive playbook, questionable substitution patterns, and purportedly weak in-game adjustments.
Some have even wondered why the team's defense has been pretty subpar over the past two seasons, considering he had made a name for himself as having a bright defensive mind during his stints as an assistant coach. To be fair to Lee, the roster iterations he has had to work with aren't exactly filled with defensive standouts. The most promising defenders he has coached on the Hornets are arguably Ryan Kalkbrenner and Sion James, and both rookies are still a long way away from reaching their ceiling.
So, it may be time for people to view Lee through a different lens. After all, he was brought in by Charlotte's top brass, presumably knowing that he is a developmental coach. And in his defense, many of the young players under his tutelage have been playing remarkably and have even helped make the Hornets display an exciting brand of basketball.
It may not be evident in the standings yet, but the foundation Lee is laying in the Queen City looks much firmer than it had been before he arrived. However, as Lowe pointed out, the roster just needs more talent. And Lee's shortcomings? They can likely be addressed by adding the right reinforcements to his staff.
Of course, the Hornets' success also hinges on their two best players being available. Unfortunately, we have yet to see LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller play together as often as the organization would have liked, which has limited Lee's ability to prove he deserves to be the head coach.