Hornets Return From All-Star Break With Identity Intact and Hunger Growing

Charlotte is looking to pick up where they left off.

CHARLOTTE — All-Star festivities have come to a close, and the Charlotte Hornets are officially back on the hardwood. The team practiced at the Novant Health Training Center on Wednesday ahead of their next game against Houston on Thursday.

Following the conclusion of practice, Charles Lee met with the assembled media to catch everyone up on what’s been going on. It looks as though the Hornets are ready to pick up right where they left off before the break.

Lee was able to use the time off to recharge, but the break was not completely basketball-free. He traveled to Los Angeles to support Kon Knueppel during All-Star weekend, and what stood out most was not just the youngster’s performance, but his response afterward.

“Got to spend some quality time with the family, got to go out to LA and see Kon. It was really cool to watch him compete, and the first of many. But it’s also a reminder of just what kind of human being, what kind of a competitor and athlete he is to see how he was affected by not winning those competitions,” Lee said. “And we’re talking about a first-year rookie at the three-point competition going up against a lot of veterans, and he held his own and represented us well, made it to the finals. And he wants more, and I think that is going to be something that just continues to drive him and fuel him.”

The kind of hunger Kon exemplifies is something Lee believes is becoming contagious within the locker room. Even after winning 10 of their final 11 games before the break, he did not dwell on whether the pause in momentum was ideal or poorly timed.

“It’s one of those things that like, you can’t control it. So it’s one of those things I don’t spend too much time on. The break is a break, and I think that our guys utilized it in the right way. It’s just like halftime. Sometimes you’re playing so good in the first half, you don’t even want there to be a halftime, but there is. And you have to be able to adjust, figure out how to reset and focus yourself and come out in the second half, and so a lot of that translates to All-Star break.

“But I love the focus that we have from our guys coming back, I thought that there was a good competition level yesterday during a lot of the contact portions of practice. And today, going in to a back-to-back, we got some good mental reps in too.”

The first objective upon returning was simple: knock off the rust and re-establish the habits that fueled their recent surge.

“Number one was just to kind of shake some rust off. You take that many days away from five-on-five basketball, you’ve definitely got to get back in the gym … It was good to see how healthy we are, but we want to continue to maximize the health of everyone. So to see that they were able to shake off some rust, the other part of it was, can we continue to compete and build our identity and our habits of what we work on every day? Defensively and offensively.

“And I thought that they did that, and then the communication level was at where I thought it was in our last game versus Atlanta. Which was very exciting to see. And then I think overall, the togetherness of the group continues to grow. The vibe in the gym, to celebrate Kon, the whole team’s excited about that. Other guys on the team had other life, personal things that happened during the break, and they celebrated that. So I love where our group is right now, and trending in the right direction.”

When asked if there was a specific moment this version of the Hornets truly grabbed onto who they are, Lee did not isolate it to a single game.

“It’s been so many different moments, if I’m being honest with you. I thought the offseason, the level that we went to, or raised our level, raised the standards of how we want to work, was seen in the offseason by all of our guys, especially the returning players. I think that there was this taste in their mouth, or this competitiveness in their spirits, that they weren’t happy with a 19-win season, and not being able to be available and be there for their teammates. And so they elevated their games, they raised higher standards.

“I think bringing in some of the people that we brought in was a big part of that as well. I thought training camp just continued to roll over into building our identity of who we want to be. And then I think there’s a couple key games that really helped us. I think that the OKC game on the road helps you. I think that even some of the losses that we had early in the season, like to go into Philly and give yourself a great chance to win that game and have to learn in some of the clutch moments is kind of helping us now, too. So a lot of the games along the way really helped spark this team and keep us building our identity.”

Even with Miles Bridges and Moussa Diabate still serving suspensions, Lee emphasized that growth does not stop simply because a player cannot appear in games.

“Stay engaged, control what you can control, and I think that their ability to talk to their teammates still during practice, understanding that other guys need reps. But what can they benefit from in terms of staying in condition, I think some of the contact portions of practice yesterday, we were able to put Miles in some positions that I think we want to put him in whenever he does return, which is good to see. And so I think that there’s so many things that they can focus on and do right now, don’t focus on what you can’t do, which is play in the games.”

There was also an update on Coby White, who is still working toward his Hornets debut after arriving via trade from Chicago. Jeff Peterson told us a few weeks ago that White would be expected to debut following the All-Star break, so the fanbase is certainly ripe with anticipation to see him suit up.

“I would say no real timeline right now, but the All-Star break was obviously very beneficial for him. To be able to continue to proceed with his rehab plan, I think he’s taking some really good positive steps, and he’s trending in the right direction.”

Perhaps the most telling sign of where this group stands, however, is how it talks about itself. The Hornets are no longer simply trying to prove they belong. They know they do, and now the challenge is maintaining the edge.

“Yeah, I think I’ve seen a couple of our guys’ comments postgame, which is amazing to hear in terms of, we’re going into games being confident … I love that mindset from our group. It shows a hunger, and it shows a humility as well that if you don’t come ready to play, any team can beat you on any given night. And I think we have that mindset of we can beat any team, but we understand how hard you have to play, mentally and physically in order to reach that. So I think our guys have done a great job of staying humble and hungry.”

If the practices this week are any indication, Charlotte is not interested in letting the break cool off what it has built. The confidence and communication are clearly there. And the identity is still forming, but it’s forming together.

Now we enter the final stretch of the regular season, where the Hornets will face the next test of their resolve. Charlotte’s identity is stronger than ever, built on communication, humility, and hunger. Thursday night at Spectrum Center against the Rockets will be the next opportunity to prove it.