Charles Lee likes what he’s seeing from Sion James, but he wants Charlotte’s second-year wing to keep growing into more than just a steady hand with the ball.
James gave the Hornets a useful lift Sunday night in their 105-90 preseason win over the Milwaukee Bucks, scoring 11 points off the bench and adding four assists. Afterward, Lee said the next step is making James even sharper in Charlotte’s offensive structure, especially when the team gets into its called actions.
“I've loved Sion's, especially last game, I thought that his ability to be a little bit more efficient with the dribble last game was really good,” Lee said. “He was more decisive, making quick decisions and reads and playing with the pass.
I think our team feels very comfortable passing the ball ahead to him. He's been great.
I think his decision-making has been really good. He's shooting the ball well.”
Lee said Charlotte still needs to keep guiding James through those possessions.
“I think that we just have to continue to help him, give him more direction, I think, in some of the called plays, the stick shift plays, what do we want to get to and how do we want to play,” Lee continued. “But overall, I love the impact that he's given us offensively. He's another ball handler, creator, and he's playing with a ton of confidence, which I love.”
The Hornets are looking for more clean ball-handling options, and James has started to give them exactly that. ESPN identified a pass-first organizer as Charlotte’s biggest roster hole, and James has helped ease that concern early in the preseason. Through two games, he’s averaging 9.5 points and 4.5 rebounds while shooting 54% from the field and 62% from 3-point range.
Charlotte took James in the second round of the 2025 draft, and he’s already showing he can do more than just survive out there. Brandon Miller said James brings value on both ends and can even take on the toughest defensive assignments.
“Definitely, as [a point guard] right now, we trust him just to bring the ball up the court, but I think he does more than that,” Miller said. “I think he guards everybody's best player.
He's a great defender, great full-court defender. But not even just that, he's a young leader, which goes a long way in the NBA.”
“Just leading vocally, I think for him, it's just like his preparation every day is going to be a big standout for him,” Miller added.
The Hornets looked far more connected against Milwaukee than they did in their preseason opener. Charlotte assisted on 29 of its 39 baskets, and the ball movement showed up in the final score as well. The Bucks finished with 23 assists, while Ryan Rollins collected three steals for Milwaukee.
Charlotte pushed the game open in the second quarter, outscoring Milwaukee 31-19 to take a 60-45 lead into halftime. The margin was 87-67 after three quarters.
The win came after a rough start to the preseason. Charlotte opened Oct. 6 with a 124-90 home loss to Brooklyn, a game in which it turned the ball over 25 times while missing Miller, Coby White and Kon Knueppel.
White, who re-signed with Charlotte in June, has not played this preseason because of a calf injury, and Knueppel has also been sidelined. Grayson Allen sat out Sunday with right knee soreness, while LaMelo Ball, who spent six seasons in Charlotte, is now with Minnesota after a June trade.
Miller returned Sunday from a shin contusion and scored 18 points. Naz Reid added 16. James and Liam McNeeley each finished with 11, and Tyler Herro led the Bucks with 18.
Charlotte went 44-38 last season and finished ninth in the Eastern Conference. The Hornets then beat the Miami Heat 127-126 in the play-in tournament on April 14 before losing 121-90 at Orlando three days later.
Lee said last week that he already has his biggest expectations for the season mapped out.
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