Where Does Charles Lee Stand in the NBA's Coach of the Year Race, and Can He Win?

Of the thirty coaches in the NBA, only one each year takes home the Coach of the Year Award.

There have been ten different winners since the 2015-16 season, and only three of them are still with the team they won the award with (Kenny Atkinson, Mark Daigneault, Steve Kerr), while the other seven have been fired (Mike Brown, Monty Williams, Tom Thibodeau, Nick Nurse, Mike Budenholzer, Dwayne Casey, and Mike D'Antoni).

The qualifications for the award have changed frequently from year-to-year. Some years, it's for doing the most with a roster that people had low expectations for in the preseason, some years it's for owning the best record or the number one seed in your conference.

In the history of the Charlotte Hornets franchise, they have yet to have a coach who has won this award. In January, head coach Charles Lee was the fourth head coach in franchise history to win the NBA's Coach of the Month award, joining Steve Clifford (March 2016, April 2014), Paul Silas (April 2003, April 2000), and Larry Brown (January 2010) as recipients of the award.

None of them, though, won the Coach of the Year award. It's unlikely this season we see Lee win the award unless the Hornets are able to hit the 46-win mark, the consistent minimum for coaches outside of Tom Thibodeau during the 2020-21 season with the New York Knicks (41-31).

Lee currently owns the fourth-highest odds in the NBA (+3500) according to FanDuel Sportsbook, behind Detroit's JB Bickerstaff, Boston's Joe Mazzulla, and San Antonio's Mitch Johnson. As we come down the stretch as well, it's likely that Mazzulla's odds only get better from here, as his Boston Celtics without Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, Jrue Holiday, or Luke Kornet are on pace to win 55 games.

Without a doubt, though, Lee has a case. After a 4-14 start to the season, the Hornets have been one of the league's best teams since the turn of the calendar to 2026, owning the league's fifth-best record (20-9), best net rating (11.4), best offensive rating (121.8), sixth-best defensive rating (110.4), and best three-point percentage (39.3%) in that timespan, getting them to a now 31-31 record.

Furthermore, the Hornets' starting five of LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel, Miles Bridges, and Moussa Diabaté is 19-2 together. For a team who were projected at 27.5 wins in the preseason, with the fourth-worst odds to win the NBA title, that is pretty good.

During the 2022-23 season, Oklahoma City's Mark Daigneault was a finalist for the Coach of the Year award with a 40-42 record. The team surpassed their preseason expectations to make it to the Play-In Tournament, but came up just short of making the postseason.

The next year, Daigneault's Thunder team won 57 games and was the Western Conference's No. 1 seed, winning him the award. We may be seeing a similar situation play out with Charles Lee and the Hornets, as although Charlotte will likely finish as a Play-In team this season, their ascent lately has pointed to a real breakout next year, one where Lee comes home with hardware.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.