24 notes from 17 press conferences
Charles Lee expects Charlotte to "have our hands full on the road versus a really good team" in the season opener at Brooklyn. Asked if Coby White and Kon Knueppel will be ready, he didn't commit: "there's still no timeline on those guys." Both have added some contact work.
"Definitely more physical than I've ever played." Hannes Steinbach on Memphis' Zach Edey after his double-double in Charlotte's preseason finale, and he'll take that into the regular season. Charles Lee: "There's a consistency with his effort."
"I don't want us to be a team that's like trying to turn it on and off." Charles Lee said the Hornets' first and fourth quarters against Boston weren't up to standard. He wants them "always on" in the Memphis preseason finale. Another gripe: giving Boston the ball 30 times.
"At times, we can become a little bit of a jump shooting team." Charles Lee says that's what Dennis Schroder fixes for the Hornets: "he helps us break the paint and create some better looks." Lee also likes Schroder picking up opponents full court to disrupt their offense.
Christian Anderson on the role Charlotte wants from him, after the Hornets' game on Oct. 14: "Pressuring the ball, being disruptive on defense... somebody who can, you know, be trusted with the ball, make plays." He added that communicating on defense is part of the job.
Sion James has been Charlotte's primary ball-handler, and Charles Lee praised his decisions and shooting: "our team feels very comfortable passing the ball ahead to him. He's been great." Lee said the staff needs to give James more direction in called plays.
Hornets' Tidjane Salaun, two preseason games in: "I feel pretty good with my body... I start to have a little bit more rhythm." His role is defense and rebounding: "that's where I can have the most success." Charles Lee says he's learning to impact offense without scoring.
Brandon Miller wants the toughest job on both ends, Charles Lee said after Charlotte's Oct. 11 game: "He wants to guard the best player. He wants to continue to be in an offensive action so that he can be a playmaker." Lee said the team will keep pushing him, no ceiling.
Naz Reid's role is set to grow in Charlotte. Charles Lee said after the Oct. 11 game he wants to "leverage the versatility that he has" and "push him to another level with some of that maybe mid-post, post-up versus disadvantages" — working him against mismatches.
Sion James is Charlotte's point guard right now, Brandon Miller said postgame: James brings the ball up, and on the other end "he guards, you know, everybody's best player." That puts running the offense and the toughest defensive matchup on one player.
Brandon Miller, back from a contusion and growing into Charlotte's number-one option, credited finding what he likes to do and that "the team trusts me to... go out there and perform the way I do." Since defenses won't help off him, they feed Naz Reid in the post often.
Brandon Miller is back for Charlotte after a rehab stint. Charles Lee gave no status detail pregame, only: "he's done a great job... preparing his mind, preparing his body for this opportunity." Injuries may have put some "in positions that they shouldn't be in," Lee said.
Charlotte is holding some players back from extra preseason minutes while they're built up, Charles Lee said, without naming them: "they're probably not ready for those extra minutes." Rotations: part experiment, part "these are the healthy bodies that we have."
Michael Ajayi earned minutes in Charlotte's Oct. 6 preseason loss. Hornets coach Charles Lee praised his defensive versatility but said the role will be split with the G League affiliate: "He's going to have opportunity with the Hornets, but also in Greensboro too."
Naz Reid is attacking mismatches for Charlotte to collapse defenses, but Hornets coach Charles Lee said after the Oct. 6 preseason loss: "There's times where he sped up and trying to go too far, too fast, and not allowing our spacing to correct around him."
"I want to prove that I can stick in this league." Liam McNeeley had 14 points and 6 turnovers in Charlotte's Oct. 6 preseason loss. Charles Lee said he's "getting some more opportunities" but needs to focus on defense. Asked about McNeeley's roster spot, Lee gave no detail.
Dennis Schroder's German national team film is in the Hornets' playbook: coach Charles Lee said the staff studied it to add plays Schroder is comfortable in. Asked if Coby White's workload will be managed like LaMelo Ball's last season, Lee wouldn't commit.
Ruled out of Charlotte's Oct. 6 preseason game, Brandon Miller and Christian Anderson got hurt in practice and are day-to-day, coach Charles Lee said. Coby White is rehabbing a training-camp injury, no timeline. Lee: "other guys get the chance to play."
Liam McNeeley and Tidjane Salaun will move between lineups and roles for Charlotte on Oct. 6, coach Charles Lee said, citing consistent offseasons: "putting them in some situations to be creators, to be screeners, to have to guard certain people."
Naz Reid says Charlotte wants an "all-around game" from him: ball handling, scoring, post work, creating, defending. He's "playing a lot more minutes now." He, Dennis Schroder, Royce O'Neale and Grayson Allen are being put "through the fire" in preseason.
Naz Reid's role is widening in Charlotte. Hornets coach Charles Lee said the staff is "using him as a pick-and-roll ball handler, pick-and-roll screener, trying to get him to crash the offensive glass a little bit more." Lee plans to test many lineups in preseason.
Royce O'Neale has a new job in Charlotte: chase more offensive rebounds. Hornets coach Charles Lee said at practice on Oct. 4: "we've pushed him to come up with more offensive rebounds, and I feel like I've seen him a bunch of times do it."
Kon Knueppel and Grant Williams are both still out and rehabbing. At Charlotte Hornets practice, Charles Lee said they're "just trending positively. They're doing a little bit more on the court every day." He gave no timeline for either player's return.
From Hornets practice: PJ Hall, back from surgery, sat out the first two days of camp and said he's looking forward to "getting after it" on Oct. 2. Rookie Hannes Steinbach says his path into the rotation is playing physical, running the floor and "making the right plays."