March 30, 2026, 3:55 p.m. ET
With players like LaMelo Ball on the roster, the Charlotte Hornets have not always been the best defending ball club in the NBA in recent years. But with the arrival of former Boston Celtics assistant Charles Lee as the Hornets head coach, the team (and Ball) have morphed into a solid squad on that end of the court.
Jumping from the 24th-worst defense in the league last season to the 12th under Lee this year, it still was not enough to stop a resurgent Jayson Tatum when the Hornets coach faced his former team on Sunday (March 29) night. And Lee pointed to the St. Louis native’s play in that Charlotte loss when asked about the Hornets’ effort on that end.
“I thought it held up well,” said Lee of the defense Charlotte deployed vs. Boston in the loss.
“Give Tatum credit,” Lee continued. “He had some tough shots. Give the rest of the team credit. We tried to double team him a couple of times and when they were able to get it out the other guys, you have to live with some of the plays that they’re going to make versus our scramble.”
“But I thought again, for the most part, the competitive spirit was there. Things didn’t quite go our way., but there was no backing down by any stretch of the imagination. I thought the battle on the boards was great. (We) still only gave up like eight offensive rebounds to a team that I think is really good at crashing the glass., so a ton of really good things.”
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