What kind of team makes the head coach do a somersault in the locker room?

What caught me off guard when I woke up wasn’t the Hornets’ victory over the Spurs, but the celebration that followed in their locker room.

Coach Charles Lee enthusiastically performed a somersault in the locker room, with Ball throwing him a towel and bumping shoulders in celebration. Previously, there were reports of a fallout between Ball and the coach, but this scene clearly refutes those claims; winning certainly fixes all problems, particularly as the Hornets have already strung together six consecutive wins.

In the early morning game, they limited Wembanyama to just 16 points on 6 of 15 shooting. Now the entire league knows to keep Wembanyama away from the basket and force him into long-distance shots, and the Hornets executed this strategy exceptionally well today.

On offense, they maintained their recent hot streak from beyond the arc. Kaminsky was off with 1 of 4, and Bridges struggled with 1 of 6, but Sexton off the bench was perfect from three, hitting all 5 attempts—when one side dims, the other shines.

At this stage, the Hornets shoot accurately and fight hard for rebounds, easily putting opponents in a dilemma. If you focus all defensive resources on the perimeter, you risk losing rebounds; if you protect the rim with twin towers like the Spurs did today, the threes tend to leak through. The Hornets’ shoot-and-rebound style isn’t rare, but the team chemistry they have right now is truly special.

Coach Charles Lee began as an assistant under Budenholzer with the Hawks in 2014, won a championship with the Bucks in 2021, and then another with the Celtics in 2024. Even before winning titles, he signed a four-year head coaching contract with the Hornets.

In the past two years, the biggest headline for Charles Lee has been the ups and downs of his relationship with Ball. Among NBA coaches, Lee has generally been a low-profile figure. After this winning streak, his excitement and roaring celebration in the locker room reflect that he has finally reached a career highlight as a head coach.

This season, Ball has clearly been sharing the load more, no longer dominating the offense alone. His average of 16.5 shot attempts per game is the lowest since his rookie year. Meanwhile, he ranks second in the league in assist rate, just behind Jokic. Although he still takes some casual shots, Ball is much more willing to distribute the ball than before.

No matter how talented Kaminsky is, he remains a second or third option on the team and can’t handle the responsibilities of a primary leader. He needs others to feed him the ball because his own ball-handling and scoring ceiling are limited. If Ball is willing to lower his ego and pass more to Kaminsky and Miller, the Hornets wouldn’t need to give up on him so quickly.

Brandon Miller is clearly trending toward becoming the Hornets’ top scorer. Currently averaging 20.8 points per game, he leads the team and has scored 20 or more points in 10 consecutive games. In fact, the Hornets have four players averaging over 18 points, with a balanced distribution of scoring and shot opportunities among the main four, allowing each to maximize their strengths.

The Hornets have multiple offensive options, making it tough for opponents to defend. If you shut down one or two players, the other two might break free. When Kaminsky, Ball, Miller, Bridges, and Diabaté start together, their record is 12-1. All four main scorers can shoot and rebound, and Diabaté currently averages 3.6 offensive rebounds per game, ranking sixth in the league, even surpassing Zubac—Clippers fans should understand what that means.

In January, their record was 11-6, with both offensive efficiency and net efficiency ranking first in the league. During this period, they have beaten almost all the top Western Conference teams, including the Thunder, Spurs, Nuggets, Lakers, 76ers, and Magic. This winning streak is highly impressive.

In their last 15 games, the Hornets have displayed an offense that dominates the league. Besides leading in offensive efficiency, they also rank first in rebound rate and second-chance points, with a true shooting percentage that is second-best in the NBA.

This six-game winning streak is the longest the Hornets have had in a decade. That ten-year span also marks the last time they made the playoffs. In recent years, they haven’t even been able to reach the play-in tournament, let alone the postseason.

The last time they reached the playoffs, the Hornets’ roster included Kemba Walker, Courtney Lee, Marvin Williams, Batum, Lin Shuhao, and Zeller. Walker is still on the sidelines today, hugging Biyombo. When these two played together, the team was still called the Bobcats.

After this six-game winning streak, the Hornets are now just one step away from the Eastern Conference play-in. Even if they don’t return to the playoffs this year, the future looks bright for this Hornets team. The revival of Charlotte basketball begins with this group.