NBA Analyst Calls Hornets a 'Younger Version of the Boston Celtics'

Charles Lee's squad gets one heck of a compliment.

Mar 4, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard (11) drives to the basket while Charlotte Hornets guard Kon Knueppel (7) defends during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images | Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

This is a huge four-game stretch for the Charlotte Hornets, and so far, they are 2-0 heading into tonight's game against the Miami Heat. On Wednesday night, they took one of the best teams in the Boston Celtics to the woodshed, drilling them on their own floor by a 118-89 score.

It didn't take long for Charlotte to find its groove offensively and build a comfortable lead. On the very first possession of the game, head coach Charles Lee called for an inverted screen where LaMelo Ball opened the lane for a wide-open dunk for Moussa Diabaté. The three-point shots began to rain, forcing Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla to burn two timeouts very early in the game.

With each win, the Hornets are getting more and more national attention, but this clubbing of the Celtics really opened up eyes. Jay Williams of ESPN even went as far as saying, "They're like a younger version of the Boston Celtics. Their games actually mirror each other, and they have the best offense in the league since January 1st. I'm not gonna call them title contenders, but if you're the Knicks, if you're Detroit, if you're Cleveland, you gotta match up with Charlotte and that offense in the first round... that is danger territory."

This is exactly what Jeff Peterson and Charles Lee had envisioned when they each took over their respective positions in the franchise. It just took time, patience, and a little bit of luck on the injury front. Okay, maybe a lot of luck.

Even just a few months ago, right before the Hornets found this seemingly unstoppable five-man lineup of Ball, Miller, Knueppel, Bridges, and Diabaté, there was a segment of the fan base in Charlotte calling for Charles Lee's job. The reality is, Lee is one of the better young coaches in this league and just needs his roster to be healthy to prove it.

What he is doing with this young squad is worthy of winning the NBA's Coach of the Year award. Rarely ever do you see a team start out as poorly as the Hornets did, and all of a sudden turn into the best-looking team the NBA has to offer out of nowhere. That's where this group is. Our own Owen O'Connor, who has followed the Celtics closely over the years, even mentioned that this in-season turnaround is very similar to what Boston did just a few years ago.