Checking in with Charles Lee and Mason Plumlee at Hornets Practice
Lee and Plumlee spoke to media following Wednesday's practice.
The Charlotte Hornets conducted practice at the Novant Health Training Center at Spectrum Center on Wednesday. Renovations are still underway at the arena, with only two weeks remaining until the Hornets’ preseason opener against the Brooklyn Nets.
Charles Lee and Mason Plumlee both took some time to speak with the gathered media following the conclusion of practice. Lee mentioned the two preseason games against the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder (one completed, one upcoming) being continued opportunities for growth ahead of the start of the regular season.
“We’re looking forward to every opportunity we can, every day to just keep getting better,” Lee said. “I think that OKC’s shooting bigs was something that we don’t get to see at practice, and so it was helpful for us now to touch some different ways to try to guard it.
“And to get home to your home and get some vitamin work in, and watch some more film, to sleep in your bed. That was kind of nice for us, so I think that we’re looking forward to this upcoming road trip to get back out there and compete.”
When it comes to Charles and the staff’s goals for this team during the preseason, the focus lies in forming competitive habits. Regardless of who’s on the floor, Lee wants to see a high level of execution.
“I would say there’s a bunch of little goals that we have,” he said. “I would defensively and then offensively, and then overall team or leadership-wise for some individual guys. But the biggest thing is just consistent competitors. I think I want to see our guys, no matter what the lineup is, no matter what the score is, we are definitely trying to build winning habits and trying to recognize that every possession matters, offensively and defensively.
"But at the end of the day, control what you can control. And that’s your competitive instincts and leaning on the things that we work on every day at practice. And so, just staying true to who we are, despite who we’re playing right now in the offseason. As we get into a little bit more scouting and stuff as the regular season approaches, we’ll dial it up I think, on some of those winning habits.”
After a night of fun for the team at Purple and Teal night on Tuesday where the vibes were very positive, Lee affirmed that this team is a group of guys who do truly enjoy being around one another both on and off the floor.
“The togetherness of this group is obviously near and dear to my heart,” Lee said. “Defense and togetherness and competitiveness, as you’ve probably heard me say a million times. But I think that some of that came from Charleston, some of that came from the offseason workouts, some of that’s from more communication drills I think that our staff has implemented.
“And so I think that the camaraderie of the team, the communication of the team, to see that Brandon and Miles and Melo and Moussa didn’t play in the second half of that OKC preseason game, but they’re still engaged during the timeouts and talking to the young players of what they see, it’s added growth and leadership, which is what we need.”
Mason Plumlee echoed this sentiment as well, confirming that the energy is good right now, with the hope that the trend will continue on into the regular season. “It’s important, like I said it’s a long season, hopefully that’s the case four or five months into the season, so I think that’s the challenge each year, and look forward to it,” Plumlee said.
When it comes to Mason’s goals for this season as it pertains to how he can help the rest of the group, his thoughts are of helping the younger guys while promoting a culture of winning.
“To me, just presence at the center position,” Plumlee said. “Presence, I think a voice. I think I have a lot to offer, especially for the young guys at my position. But my understanding is that we’re playing to win this year, so that was my interest in coming here, and I want to contribute to that.
“Brandon is an exciting talent. I just think that there’s a really good roster, and while it may not be recognized on a league level yet, it’s our year to make that the case. So yeah, I think that this is a team on a trend upward, and it’s something that I wanted to be a part of.”
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