Joe Mazzulla’s hilarious reaction to Charles Lee’s move to Hornets

Mazzulla was once the “shiny toy” who had never been a head coach in the NBA before. The 35-year-old is now deep into his second season leading the Celtics and has his squad up 1-0 in the Eastern Conference Semifinals over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Although Lee was hired in the middle of the playoffs, he will still finish out the postseason run with the C’s before heading down south to get started in Charlotte.

“He just brings a different dynamic, and besides basketball, I think one of the best things he brings is the ability to communicate, and he’s a really positive guy,” Mazzulla said of Lee.

When Mazzulla took over for former Celtics head coach Ime Udoka in 2022, he was left with a staff that he didn’t really have a hand in shaping. This offseason, Mazzulla brought in Lee, three-time NBA champion Sam Cassell, and former Duke standout Amile Jefferson as assistants.

Once again, he’ll likely be filling another coaching position, however, this isn’t necessarily a bad problem for the Celtics. If their coaches are consistently hired by other franchises across the league, they must be do something right in Beantown.

Who is Charles Lee?

Lee joined the Celtics coaching staff in June ahead of the 2023-24 campaign. He was hired as an assistant coach and likely won over Mazzulla and company with his impressive resume.

From 2018 to 2023, Lee was an assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks. In that time, Milwaukee made the playoffs every season and even won an NBA championship in 2021. That title team featured two-time All-Star Jrue Holiday, who was traded to the C’s just a few months after Lee arrived in Beantown.

During the regular season, the new-look Celtics dominated. They finished 64-18 and clinched the No. 1 overall record in the NBA more than a week before the season wrapped up. That overwhelming amount of success attracted the eyes of opposing teams that were in the market for a head coach.

The Hornets, who went 1-2 against Boston, were one of those struggling teams looking for a new leader to right the ship. In fact, just two days after the Celtics defeated Charlotte 118-104, the Hornets announced that head coach Steve Clifford was stepping down and joining the front office at the end of the 2023-24 season.

That kicked off a month-long job search that included names like former NBA veteran JJ Redick and G-League Coach of the Year Lindsey Harding. Ultimately, the Hornets chose Lee, who has plenty of experience on winning teams.

Charlotte has been near the basement of the Eastern Conference for almost a decade, yet it has some hope. Point guard LaMelo Ball was an All-Star in 2022 and 2023 first-round pick Brandon Miller has All-Star potential. Additionally, the Hornets have the third-highest odds of winning the 2024 NBA draft lottery and acquiring the first overall pick.

With the right guidance and proper player development, perhaps the Hornets could earn their first postseason berth since the 2015-16 season sooner rather than later.

There’ll be growing pains, yet Lee seems like the right man for the job.