"I don't want us to be a team that's like trying to turn it on and off." Charles Lee said the Hornets' first and fourth quarters against Boston weren't up to standard. He wants them "always on" in the Memphis preseason finale. Another gripe: giving Boston the ball 30 times.
"At times, we can become a little bit of a jump shooting team." Charles Lee says that's what Dennis Schroder fixes for the Hornets: "he helps us break the paint and create some better looks." Lee also likes Schroder picking up opponents full court to disrupt their offense.
Joe Mazzulla sprang a two-big-man lineup on his own Celtics: "The guys didn't know we were going to do it. We hadn't practiced it. The first time they knew was at the beginning of the quarter." He wanted it on film and expects better spacing if Boston uses it again.
Jordan Walsh has started the Celtics' last two games guarding the opponent's best player. Joe Mazzulla said he has done it well, "getting off to a good start defensively." On keeping the same lineup: "we'll just do what we did last time."
Neemias Queta off the dribble: Joe Mazzulla wants more of the Celtics center's playmaking. "That playmaking is an area that we'd like to see Neemias take to a little bit of a different level." On outside shooting, Mazzulla wants to empower him but still get the best shots.
Christian Anderson on the role Charlotte wants from him, after the Hornets' game on Oct. 14: "Pressuring the ball, being disruptive on defense... somebody who can, you know, be trusted with the ball, make plays." He added that communicating on defense is part of the job.