Hornets rally to beat Houston in Charles Lee’s debut, but are haunted by another injury
A new season, yet the same old problems.
Injuries have derailed things for the Charlotte Hornets the better part of this decade, and although the new coaching regime introduced a 10-person health and performance department, the problem has cropped once again.
Already missing two-fifths of their starting lineup thanks to a sore left Achilles sidelining Josh Green, forcing him to join Mark Williams in street clothes on the bench, the Hornets became even more shorthanded when Brandon Miller’s sore left hip forced him out of their 110-105 season-opening win over the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center in Houston Wednesday night.
“It’s unfortunate to not have some of those guys in your lineup,” coach Charles Lee said. “They are obviously key members of our team and what we do, but I think it’s a testament to the environment we created. Anyone is ready for their opportunity because they put in the work every day.
“They show up, they understand what the concepts are defensively, how to play offensively together and so I feel confident and comfortable putting anybody in the game. Because I know how hard they work and they’ve earned my trust.”
Miller spent a hefty portion of the first half shuffling between the bench and the tunnel near the visitor’s locker room, where he did some leg strengthening exercise. His first-quarter rim-rattling dunk that quickly made the rounds on social media was a distant memory once halftime rolled around, with Charlotte trailing 60-49.
But somehow, the Hornets still found a way to win behind LaMelo Ball’s dazzling display of 34 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds paired with Tre Mann’s spark off the bench to the tune of 24 points and six rebounds.
“First game, so you want to come out and set a tone,” Ball said, “So we had to get that first one.”
And a quick pep talk from Cody Martin, who was starting for Green, did the trick.
“When we were down, Cody huddled us up in the third quarter and he said, ‘Last year this is where we struggled at. This is where we got to get over this hump.’ And we did that,” Miles Bridges said. “Nick (Richards) did a lot of things to get us going, Cody got us stops. Of course, Melo (Ball) did his thing, Tre (Mann). Grant (Williams), too.
“Everybody did a great job.”
Here are some of the notable things the Hornets said of note after beginning the season with a victory:
On Tre Mann:
“I told ya’ll, Tre he gets straight to it,” Ball said. “I’ve known Tre for a minute, too, and he’s been a bucket. So that’s my boy and he be rocking out.”
Said Lee: ”Proud of Tre. Very happy with the way that Tre played,.I even thought that he took it up another notch on the second half. At halftime, I think he had like 10 or 11 points but we still didn’t feel like he had the Tre bounce or vibe to him.
And I thought in that second half, he was able to ease his way into the game and then defensively was really good and into people.”
On the comeback from an 18-point deficit:
“Yeah, I think it showed how good of a defensive team we are,” Lee said. “When it really mattered and when we needed to claw back into this game, I thought our defense took another level, too. In the first half, we got some pretty good looks, didn’t knock them down unfortunately.
“We got the same looks in the second half, some guys kicked it onto another gear. But I thought for the most part I saw our defensive intensity rise to the occasion. And maybe some guys who didn’t have it offensively, I thought they really contributed defensively. Especially on the boards.”
On getting Charles Lee his first career win as a coach
“It was good,” Bridges said. “We could tell that it was a very emotional game for him. He really wanted this, so we had to get it for him. I’m happy for him. First of many wins for his career. He’s going to be a great coach, so I’m just happy to be a part of it.
“We gave him the game ball. He was happy.”
Ball said: “You come in, have got your first road game. New coach, new everything. We are trying to build a whole new thing. So, just to come in and get that win is a blessing.”
Hornets glad games finally count
Scanning the Toyota Center court and surrounding perimeter following the initial shootaround of the season, it’s quickly evident things are a tad different for the Hornets.
“That’s the NBA for you,” Richards said. “One day, you’ve got a whole bunch of people on one team and the next season you see new faces. I think that’s just the world that we live in. It sucks because you build relationships with everybody else, but it just comes with the territory, the job.”
Still, it’s quite a contrast from the last time the Hornets played a game that counted in the standings. New players intertwined with the scores of individuals recently brought on board by co-owners Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin, and president of basketball operations Jeff Peterson.
That also includes Lee, who’s hoping to bring some of the championship experience he’s gathered with his previous two employers to Charlotte.
Welcome to the 2024-25 version of the Hornets.
“The mood is still the same as it’s been when I started here — it’s just to get better every day,” Lee said. “And we are really excited to start our regular season journey. I thought we built a lot of really good habits on both ends of the court. And (it’s) a great opportunity for us to go out and play a really good Houston team.”
Even if the Hornets aren’t at full strength with Mark Williams and Green both out.
Williams is doing on-court activities and was seen shooting free throws following shootaround. But no definitive timetable has been given for his return.
So, that thrusts Richards into the Hornets’ starting lineup until Williams returns.
“I’ve been really impressed with Nick’s ability to pick up everything that we’re doing so quickly,” Lee said. “He’s got an increased role now that Mark is hurt. And now he’s going to have to play vs. starters, longer minutes or longer stints. But I think that he’s built for it. He’s done a great job this offseason or working on his body.
“And the next part of it is, whatever we’re coaching and teaching, he asks the appropriate questions to be able to apply it in the manner that we want him to. So, I’ve been really impressed with how he picks things up and how well he’s taken care of his body to be ready for a position like this.”
Richards, in his usual relaxed Jamaican style, insists there’s not much of a difference coming off the bench as opposed to starting. He’s had his share of both over the past season-plus with Williams only playing in 19 games a season ago.
“At the end of the day, it’s just basketball,” Richards said. “Whether it’s the starting five or the second unit, you are going against NBA players. So, I think that your intensity, you’ve got to have the same approach whether you start or come off the bench.”
He’ll be doing more of the former until Williams is good to go.
“I think he is taking an aggressive approach to it,” Richards said of Williams. “He’s coming in every day, getting treatment, working on his body making sure that he’s ready for whenever he comes back. He’s going to be the same Mark from when he started the season last season.”
This story was originally published October 23, 2024 at 3:19 PM with the headline "Hornets rally to beat Houston in Charles Lee’s debut, but are haunted by another injury."
