Is Hornets coach Charles Lee good? NBA players don't think so

Charles Lee came out on the wrong end of the NBA player poll.

Mar 31, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets head coach Charles Lee looks at the scoreboard during the second half against the Utah Jazz at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

How did Charles Lee do in his first year as head coach of the Charlotte Hornets? Not very well, to tell the truth. The Hornets finished 19-63 this year, another year of getting worse instead of better. Lee was brought in to replace Steve Clifford, and things didn't go well.

It wasn't all his fault, as health played a big role in the Hornets' record. However, when NBA players were polled, they voted Lee as one of the worst coaches in the league. He got 8.2% of 73 votes from anonymous players. Washington Wizards coach Brian Keefe was overwhelmingly number one at 24.7%.

This may seem like it's just players ragging on bad teams, but Mike Budenholzer (Phoenix Suns) and Doc Rivers (Milwaukee Bucks) got more votes than Lee did. Some players refrained from voting for various reasons, as they felt it unfair to judge coaches like that.

Nick Nurse got slightly fewer votes than Lee, but one player's justification for him not being bad applies to Lee as well. “Coaches can be held handicap by health and the front office. Nick Nurse is a good coach, but he doesn’t have the players right now," they argued.

Apr 11, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Charlotte Hornets head coach Charles Lee looks on during the first half against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images / Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Another player refused to vote, saying, "I’m not answering because I think the coaches are really good now. You could pick one of the bottom-feeders, like (redacted coach from a bad team), but I’ve had (him as a coach), and he’s good and it’s not his fault."

The health factor is a big one. Would the Hornets have been that good with a healthy roster? Probably not, because their starting five, in the few moments they had together, didn't look all that inspiring this year. However, it did make them worse.

LaMelo Ball played 47 games. Mark Williams played 44. Brandon Miller didn't even hit 30 games. That is difficult to navigate for any coach, let alone one who's never been a head coach before. The revolving door of players available made it hard to set rotations and get consistent play from anyone, so this year probably deserves a bit of a mulligan, and it definitely doesn't deserve to get Lee unfair criticism from the league.

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