In the modern NBA, where highlight reels are measured in seconds and “process” is often a dirty word for fanbases demanding immediate results, Charlotte Hornets head coach Charles Lee is intentionally slowing things down. Now in his second year at the helm, Lee isn’t interested in the shortcut; he is interested in the craftsmanship of winning.
When I caught up with Coach Lee recently, the conversation drifted away from the X’s and O’s of the pick-and-roll and toward the psychological infrastructure he has been building in the Queen City. For a young team like the Hornets—currently navigating the growing pains of a rebuild while flashing high-octane potential with stars like LaMelo Ball and rookie standout Kon Knueppel—the mental game is just as vital as the physical one.
The Quote on the Wall
Every coach has a “thing.” For some, it’s a grueling practice schedule; for others, it’s an obsession with analytics. For Lee, it’s about creating an environment of constant, subtle inspiration. I asked him if he, like many of the legendary bench bosses before him, assigns specific literature or music to his roster.
“It’s funny,” Lee told me with a grin. “I more so would ask you to maybe ask the players, because we have a TV in our back that we throw a quote of the day up there. The quotes vary in their style. I think some guys are reading it, some guys don’t.”
It is a refreshingly honest take from a coach entering the meat of his second season. Lee isn’t under the illusion that a single quote will turn a young roster into a seasoned veteran squad overnight. Instead, it’s about the presence of the message. Whether it’s a veteran leader internalizing the words or a rookie catching a glimpse of them while tying his sneakers, the “Quote of the Day” serves as the heartbeat of the locker room—a constant reminder that their mindset is the only thing they can truly control.
The Philosophy of the Process
While the TV screen in the back provides the daily spark, Lee’s deep-dive mentorship happens in the quiet moments. He isn’t handing out a mandatory reading list to the whole bus, but he is curated in his approach to individual growth.
“From a book standpoint, there’s some one-on-one conversations that I’ve had with guys about, ‘Hey, this would be good for you,'” Lee explained. “A lot of it’s on the process—embracing the journey and what that journey looks like, and how to deal with adversity. We try to be creative around here and make sense of different things in that regard.”
This “one-on-one” literacy is part of Lee’s broader strategy. In a league where young players are often overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information, Lee is tailoring the message to the man. If a player is struggling with a shooting slump, the focus might be on resilience. If the team is riding a winning streak, the focus might be on humility and the “boring” habits that lead to excellence.
When I pressed him on the one book that personally defined his journey—the “North Star” of his coaching philosophy—he didn’t hesitate.
“Changed my life? Chop Wood, Carry Water!”
For those unfamiliar with Joshua Medcalf’s seminal work, the book is a guide to falling in love with the process rather than the result. It tells the story of a young man who wants to become a samurai, only to find that the “training” consists of the mundane, repetitive tasks of chopping wood and carrying water. It is a metaphor for the NBA grind: the 4:00 AM workouts, the film sessions, and the defensive slides that no one sees, which ultimately make the game-winning shot possible.
By citing this specific book, Lee revealed his hand. He isn’t just trying to win games in Charlotte; he’s trying to build a culture of “samurais” who find joy in the labor.
The Sunday Showdown: Hornets vs. Wizards
The philosophy of “chopping wood” will be put to the test this Sunday as the Hornets prepare to face the Washington Wizards. Both teams find themselves in strikingly similar positions: young rosters, high-ceiling talent, and a desperate need for consistency.
I asked Lee how a team rebounds—both literally and figuratively—after tough losses, and what he’s seen from a Washington team that mirrors his own.
“The way that we rebound is, just like last night, you try to learn from what you can from that game,” Lee said. “It’s always a great experience to see some of the things that we can get better at. Going into that Houston game, we talked a little bit about how can we finish quarters, how can you finish games better.”
For Lee, the game against Houston wasn’t just a mark in the loss column; it was a classroom. He pointed to specific moments where his team showed the “physicality” and “competitive standpoint” he demands. Now, in year two, the challenge is refinement.
“Now [we’re] just trying to tighten up some of our situational basketball stuff,” he noted. “And then once you learn, you’ve gotta move forward. Our group has done a great job of trying to learn and then reset and refocus on who that next opponent is.”
Scouting the Capital City
The Wizards present a unique challenge for Charlotte. While both teams are developing, their style of play is a mirror image of the pace and space Lee is trying to instill in his own squad.
“They are pretty fun to watch, actually,” Lee admitted. “Similar story. A lot of young players out there. The ball is moving, people are moving, they’ve got some good three-point shooting. They’re really going to test our discipline defensively.”
This is where the “Chop Wood, Carry Water” mentality becomes tangible. Against a high-octane offense like Washington’s, discipline isn’t about a flashy block or a transition dunk; it’s about the “second and third actions”—the rotations that happen when the first defensive plan breaks down.
Lee’s focus for Sunday remains on the “togetherness” of his offense. He wants to see the pace they displayed at the end of the second quarter in their previous outing sustained for a full 48 minutes. It’s about “togetherness throughout the whole offensive possession.”
The Road Ahead
As the Hornets head into Washington, they carry with them the weight of expectations and the energy of a new era. Charles Lee knows that the road to relevance in the Eastern Conference is paved with wood chips and water buckets.
He isn’t promising a championship tomorrow, but he is promising a team that will respect the journey. Whether they’re reading the quote on the TV or diving into the pages of a life-changing book, the Charlotte Hornets are learning that the secret to greatness isn’t in the destination—it’s in the work.
“Say less,” I told him. The message was received loud and clear.
