Charles Lee Praises Christian Anderson Jr.’s Growth After Strong Preseason Finish

Christian Anderson Jr. sat out the Charlotte Hornets' first two preseason games with a sprained ankle. He scored 25 points across the last two.

Friday at FedExForum, Anderson came off the bench and scored 15 points in 21:33 of a 116-98 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. He handed out a team-high 6 assists.

More than half of his points came at the free throw line, where he went 8-of-9.

He shot 3-of-7 from the field, made 1 of his 2 3-point attempts, and committed 4 turnovers. Charlotte was plus-7 with Anderson on the floor.

Hornets coach Charles Lee said Sunday that the team is better than where it started.

"Love the growth that Christian made, I think, just like the rest of our team," Lee said. "With every rep, he got better and better. He finds his confidence. I think I love the defensive impact he had. There are some possessions where he is picking up full court, refusing to be screened in pick-and-roll situations. I thought his hands were active coming in and got a couple big rebounds. Like in Boston, he got fouled on one and hit the floor offensively."

Anderson debuted Oct. 14 in Boston, a 114-93 loss to the Boston Celtics in which Charlotte turned the ball over 30 times.

He scored 10 points. Four of his 8 shots went in, two of them from 3-point range, and he picked up 2 steals.

The Hornets used the 18th overall pick on him June 23, when he was 20.

Against the Milwaukee Bucks at Summer League in July, he handed out 10 assists, the most by anyone in that game.

Texas Tech played him 38.4 minutes a night as a sophomore, and he started every one of its 33 games. No one in the Big 12 averaged more than his 7.4 assists. He scored 18.5 a game as well and finished with 244 assists, a school record for a single season.

From 3-point range, he made 41.5% on 7.9 attempts a game. The Big 12 named him first team and its Most Improved Player. He was also a third-team All-American.

Oak Hill Academy in Virginia is where the Atlanta native played high school basketball. His father, Christian Sr., spent 10 years playing professionally overseas.

Hannes Steinbach, whom Charlotte drafted four picks before Anderson, finished Friday with 19 points and 10 rebounds.

The two were teammates for Germany when it won the 2024 Under-18 EuroBasket, and again when it finished second at the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup.

Lee said Anderson has been hitting Steinbach in the seam.

"I think that he understands the pace at which we want to play, and some of his outlets, he's getting up the court, playing early pick-and-roll," Lee added. "It's good to see the German connection in effect with him and Hannes, and [Anderson] hitting [Steinbach] in the seam. I think he's finding where to shoot the ball and how to be more shot ready on the perimeter."

"So a ton of really good growth from him, and the thing that I've loved, how he's come in every day, is just the consistency at which he works," Lee detailed. "His coachability has been really impressive."

Coby White did not play in the preseason because of a left calf strain. Grayson Allen missed time with a knee injury and was inactive Friday.

Dennis Schröder started in the backcourt with Brandon Miller in Memphis. Schröder had 6 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists in 21:30.

Charlotte opens the regular season Wednesday against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center, with tip-off at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Brooklyn won the Oct. 6 preseason meeting 124-90, one of the two games Anderson missed.