“It’s cool to go to a championship-caliber organization with so much history,” he said before the Hornets hosted the Celtics Friday night. “How they structured their everyday schedule and what it means to be a Celtic. It was really cool and interesting for me and my family to experience. As a coach I was able to see how it works to have that much talent on your team, to have the target on your back all year as one of the best teams in the NBA.
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“This team had gone through some hardships and we’re trying to get over that hump. To go through that journey with them last year and see that all that had to go into it was cool for me and my growth.”
Lee was a highly regarded assistant coach and the Celtics were looking to give head coach Joe Mazzulla some more help after the disappointing end to the 2022-23 season. With several of Making Udoka’s staff leaving to join him in Houston, the Celtics added Lee and former NBA champion Sam Cassell. Lee had coached Al Horford as an assistant in Atlanta and Jrue Holiday in Milwaukee.
“He just had a really good perspective,” Mazzulla said. “Any time you have a group of coaches that worked with other great coaches like (Mike Budenholzer) and have been around other superstars, you just have other experiences to pull from. He had multiple experiences, successful ones for the most part. Having Charles was a huge help to help Jrue in his transition. That relationship was key for us.”
Lee and Holiday and their families are close, and Holiday said he plugged Lee as a head coaching prospect for the past few years. They won a championship together in 2020-21 with the Bucks.
“I’m happy for him; happy to see that he’s a head coach,” Holiday said. “He’s finally getting an opportunity to imprint himself on his team and on this league, but I love him to death and I’m super proud of him. I was advocating for him, but just to see him fulfill the dream to be a head coach is huge.”
Lee said he approached the Boston opportunity with extra focus knowing he was close to his first coaching job.
“You have a team that you get to work with that is historic and we had a chance to win a championship,” he said. “For me it was an opportunity to come in and do whatever I can do to help the team. Whatever Joe needed, whatever the team needed.
“Knowing that experience could diversify my background of working with different superstar players, another championship journey and playoff experience. There was so much to take from it and I wanted to make sure I soaked it all up.”
Tatum promises aggression
After a blazing hot start from the 3-point line, Jayson Tatum entered Friday’s game against the Hornets 6 for his past 26 from beyond the arc, including 5 for 18 in Wednesday’s overtime loss to the Indiana Pacers.
The 18 attempts was a career high for Tatum, and he admitted it was too many.
“Nah, I settled way too much last game, especially at the end of that first quarter,” he said. “I shot like five threes in the last minute and a half, and the start of overtime I shot like three. That’s eight right there that I just settled and I relied on my height that I wish I could have back.”
Hauser feeling good
Sam Hauser missed three games after the Oct. 22 opener with back soreness, but returned Wednesday and scored 5 points in 14 minutes. He was also available Friday but said he’s continuing to monitor his back as the season progresses.
“It’s kind of a work in progress, getting back into things,” he said. “Just working on doing rehab stuff, icing, getting treatment to try to make sure it’s right.
“Definitely a work in progress. It could be many years of playing basketball, quite honestly. Hopefully it’s just a little flare up.”
With Hauser unavailable, Mazzulla opted for second-year swingman Jordan Walsh for the most extensive minutes of his career. Walsh’s contributions are mainly defense and rebounding. Hauser brings a floor-stretching element with his 3-point shooting.
Can’t call on Al
Friday was the first game of the Celtics’ first back-to-back set this season, and 38-year-old center Al Horford was held out for load management. Horford hasn’t played in a back-to-back since returning to Boston, but he’s expected to return for Saturday’s second game in Charlotte. The Celtics received good minutes Wednesday from backup center Nehemiah Quetawho pulled down 9 rebounds (4 offensive) in 14 minutes.
Gary Washburn is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @GwashburnGlobe.
