{"id":655994,"date":"2026-03-13T10:54:35","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T10:54:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/655994\/"},"modified":"2026-03-13T10:54:35","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T10:54:35","slug":"why-hornets-star-lamelo-ball-is-flourishing-in-sixth-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/655994\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Hornets star LaMelo Ball is flourishing in sixth season"},"content":{"rendered":"

If anyone can appreciate what the Charlotte Hornets<\/a> are doing, it\u2019s certainly the longest-tenured member of the team.<\/p>\n

Enter Miles Bridges.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt feels great,\u201d Bridges told the Charlotte Observer. \u201cIt feels like we\u2019re actually involved in everything \u2014 in the NBA, in the playoffs. Usually we\u2019re just a team that people just write off right away. So we\u2019re just used to that, living up to their standards. Now we\u2019re living up to ours.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt feels great.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bridges joined the Hornets in 2018, a full two years after the organization\u2019s last appearance in the NBA playoffs. They hold the record for the league\u2019s longest current postseason drought, which could finally be snapped in a few weeks should they advance past the play-in tournament rounds \u2014 something that\u2019s been a problem in the two previous chances to do just that.<\/p>\n

But the Hornets are in the midst of an apparent culture change. They\u2019re one more road win shy of finishing with a .500 record or better away from for home for only the second time since pro basketball returned to Charlotte in 2004, and first occasion since 2021-22 in the final season under then-coach James Borrego.<\/p>\n

\"Charlotte Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball, left and forward Miles Bridges sit on the bench during action against the New York Knicks at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Nov. 26, 2025. The Knicks defeated the Hornets 129-101. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com <\/p>\n

The slow turnaround during the season-plus of coach Charles Lee<\/a> is impressive.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur coaching staff and our training staff does a great job of holding us accountable,\u201d Bridges said. \u201cBut we\u2019ve got to be comfortable ourselves. And I feel like once we started experiencing winning, that\u2019s when we flipped our mindset and said, \u2018Look, if we do the little (stuff), we\u2019ll be successful.\u2019 And that\u2019s what we\u2019ve been doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

That has the Hornets among the hottest teams in the NBA. They\u2019re garnering much more national attention \u2014 as evidenced by NBC moving the tipoff time of this past Sunday\u2019s game against the Phoenix Suns back so it could air on Peacock \u2014 and soaking up every bit of it.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s how things are when on pace for a winning record for just the third time in a decade-plus.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s being coachable and just everybody buying in on defense,\u201d Bridges said. \u201cI feel like everybody buying in on defense really changed things for us. Everybody being healthy, it\u2019s not talked about enough. Just us being healthy. I\u2019ve been preaching that for years, and it\u2019s finally here. So it feels good.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Charlotte Observer spoke to Bridges about a number of things, including how Lee is reaching star guard LaMelo Bal<\/a>l in ways that weren\u2019t as easy in the past, how Coby White<\/a>\u2019s addition is helping and more.<\/p>\n

Roderick Boone: How is good health going to benefit you guys and help be the team you want to be?<\/p>\n

Miles Bridges: You should know we\u2019ve not been blowing smoke up our (bottom) for years. We\u2019re going to be good when we\u2019re healthy. And just having the confidence in ourselves. I give credit to our training staff, for sure, for keeping us accountable. Lifts, extra ice tub, all that type of (stuff). But we\u2019re just, like I was saying, locked in on a whole \u2018nother level.<\/p>\n

\"Hornets Hornets players LaMelo Ball, center, and Miles Bridges celebrate an assisted dunk during the game against the Wizards at Spectrum Center in Charlotte on Dec. 23, 2025. The Hornets defeated the Wizards 126-109. Melissa Melvin-Rodriguez mrodriguez@charlotteobserver.com <\/p>\n

RB: Charles Lee has been around for almost two years. What has he done specifically \u2014 and it\u2019s nothing against Steve Clifford or James Borrego \u2014 that\u2019s working now and why is it working?<\/p>\n

MB: J.B. and Cliff, they\u2019re great coaches. I feel like C. Lee, he\u2019s more into it with the team dinners and getting to know you better. He\u2019s a player coach, so he trusts us. If you noticed (the Feb. 28) game when Melo called for the review, he didn\u2019t even question it. He went with it right away. So that\u2019s what type of coach C. Lee is. And when he has that trust in us, that gives us the confidence to go out there and play our hardest. And he holds us accountable. Some people would be soft on Melo or Brandon (Miller) or Kon (Knueppel), but not Coach. He\u2019s on their (butt) more than everybody, on our (butt) more than everybody.<\/p>\n

RB: Some people on the outside don\u2019t think LaMelo wants to be coached. Can you explain what it\u2019s like to be on the inside and see LaMelo doing things now that maybe at first wasn\u2019t sure it was going to work?<\/p>\n

MB: Some people are scared to approach Melo. Cliff would always yell at anybody. J.B., he\u2019d be a little bit soft on Melo just because he doesn\u2019t want him to shut down. And C. Lee, he\u2019s a whole different way. He experienced it last year when he benched him, and Melo completely shut down. And that just shows his growth. If Melo\u2019s benched with like five minutes left, and he\u2019s about to get in with four minutes left, he\u2019s not sitting over there pouting or getting mad. He\u2019s ready to come in the game and finish the game for us. So, C. Lee just gets a lot out of Melo that certain coaches wouldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

RB: As someone who\u2019s as close to LaMelo as anyone on the team, what can you say about his maturation process?<\/p>\n

\"Charlotte Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges, left, and guard LaMelo Ball sit on the team\u2019s bench late in game action against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Jan. 21, 2026. The Cavaliers defeated the Hornets 94-87. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com <\/p>\n

MB: I think it\u2019s just understanding that we need him to do certain stuff to win. And he\u2019s at a point in his career where he just wants to win and not get nothing individual. I\u2019m not saying in the past he wasn\u2019t. He always wanted to win, but he knows what it takes to win now. So, now he\u2019s applying himself to do that. Even like him just talking to us in the locker room, talking to us in the timeout. He\u2019s doing that little (stuff). It\u2019s just a whole different focus.<\/p>\n

RB: How is Coby White coming in going to help you long term? He\u2019s your backup point guard.<\/p>\n

MB: Like you said, for him to be a backup, he\u2019s playing against other bench units and he\u2019s a starter in this league. So he can score with the best of them. He communicates like a leader. He\u2019s been here, he\u2019s been in the playoffs, been in the play-in. So, he has experience. Everybody wants to listen to Coby. He has a great voice in the locker room. He\u2019s going to be great for us down the stretch.<\/p>\n


\n \"Profile
\n <\/a><\/p>\n

Roderick Boone<\/a><\/p>\n

The Charlotte Observer<\/p>\n

Roderick Boone joined the Observer in September 2021 to cover the Charlotte Hornets and NBA. In his more than two decades of writing about the world of sports, he\u2019s chronicled everything from high school rodeo to a major league baseball no-hitter to the Super Bowl to the Finals. The Long Island native has deep North Carolina roots and enjoys watching \u201cThe Fresh Prince of Bel Air\u201d endlessly.
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