Charlotte Hornets head coach Charles Lee talked about the new role for guard Coby White now that LaMelo Ball has been traded.
After spending the last six years as the Hornets‘ No. 1 scoring option, Ball was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves this offseason in a blockbuster trade that brought back big man Naz Reid and draft picks in return to Charlotte.
By trading Ball, the Hornets had more money and playing time to give White, whom they re-signed to a three-year, $74 million deal after acquiring him from the Chicago Bulls at the trade deadline. With Ball gone, White — a North Carolina native — will be relied on to be one of the Hornets’ top scorers and playmakers going forward.
Charles Lee Talks Coby White
Speaking to The Charlotte Observer, Lee spoke about White’s increased role on the team going forward now that Ball is no longer on the team.
“You take it back to when we traded for him, I was excited that we got him in our organization. I’ve always followed him. I’ve always thought he was a really good basketball player. Having (Hornets assistant coach) Josh Longstaff on my staff, he would also talk about how great of a person he was as well and how great of a professional he is. And he brought so much to our environment,” Lee said.
“And obviously that big-time shot versus Miami (in the play-in tournament) cemented his name in the Hornets’ history books. But I think when we got him then, we knew we wanted to re-sign him and it worked out great that we have him back. And I think that he has to be focused on — and I have to be focused, the whole team — he doesn’t have to be Melo. He has to be Coby White. And it’s going to look differently with him at the helm. I’m excited about what he brings to that defensive side of the floor in terms of his ability to take charges and have a really good basketball IQ of how to guard people’s tendencies and stuff. Then offensively, I think he’s able to stretch the floor with his ability to shoot threes.
“In Chicago, we got to watch him when he had the ball in his hands. He plays so fast and we want to play with great pace. And throughout the whole year, even last year when we had him, he’s able to get to the free throw line. He’s able to get to the basket a little bit. And then when he gets to the basket, he made some really good reads. So, I think that he’s going to help our offense continue to take positive steps.”
Hornets Next Season
With White now re-signed and with Reid on the roster, this is what the Hornets’ starting five looks like this coming season:
PG: Coby White
SG: Kon Knueppel
SF: Brandon Miller
PF: Naz Reid
C: Moussa Diabate
Overall, it’s a very solid basketball team, and after making the Play-In Tournament this past season, the Hornets will try to be a playoff team next season.
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