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The Hornets biggest change under Charles Lee has nothing to do with the X's and O's

One simple change can help accelerate the Charlotte Hornets' turnaround.

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No lead in the NBA is safe. Well, usually that is. 20-point deficits are erased on a nightly basis in the league, but if you don't have the mindset of having the ability to make a comeback, you won't.

Over the last two seasons, the moment the Charlotte Hornets dug themselves into a hole, they, and everyone else in the arena knew the game was over. They knew they were at a disadvantage due to injuries and without the offensive firepower, overcoming a slow start or a bad run during the game was difficult for the Hornets to do.

While first-year head coach Charles Lee will be implementing new philosophies, concepts, and terminology, he's not reinventing the wheel. For the most part, everyone runs the same actions, it's just how you teach it and execute it. The biggest thing he is aiming to change is the team's mindset.

“I think just being able to sustain our efforts," Lee said. "Not get too down on ourselves, continue to believe in ourselves in every facet of the game. Believe in our preparation, believe in our togetherness, our competitiveness. Whether we’re up or down, we just have to sustain those areas of the game and I’ve seen this team do it from afar for one game or one day or one week. I just think as we try to build success and sustain consistency, we need to rep it out in practice on a daily basis and it becomes a mindset for us.”

As simple and small as this may seem, it can be the difference between a team competing in the postseason and one whose season ends in the first/second week of April.

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Hidden Gem? Charles Lee hints at Josh Green's role with Hornets


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Schuyler Callihan
SCHUYLER CALLIHAN

Schuyler Callihan is the publisher of West Virginia On SI and has been a trusted source covering the Mountaineers since 2016. He is the host of Between The Eers, The Walk Thru Game Day Show, and In the Gun Podcast. The Wheeling, WV native moved to Charlotte, North Carolina in 2020 to cover the Charlotte Hornets and Carolina Panthers.