Hidden Gem? Charles Lee hints at Josh Green's role with the Hornets

The Charlotte Hornets head coach loves what he is seeing out of his new guard.

Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The moment the Charlotte Hornets acquired Josh Green from the Dallas Mavericks in what ended up being a six-team trade, the Hornets' defense improved drastically.

Green is considered to be one of the best under-the-radar defenders in the entire NBA, but he's much more than just a defender. Over his first four years in the league, Green shot 50% from the field and 37.5% from beyond the arc. Being in the shadows of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, opportunities to score the ball were few and far between.

Now with the Hornets, Green will be asked to take on more of a role offensively, even with Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball as the top two options and Miles Bridges being No. 3. First-year head coach Charles Lee hinted at how he plans to utilize Green and praised him for the energy he has brought to the first two days of practice.

“Oh, my gosh. Mr. Competitiveness. To watch Josh make all of these extra efforts and multiple efforts…we’ve been in our coach’s meeting sometimes where we’re like let’s just try not to mess Josh up. He’s able to do both a lot of times and he’s got his own technique for doing it. But he’s done a great job of being open-minded to doing things differently, but also offensively. We’re going to put him in situations where he’s got to handle the ball a little bit more and use him to facilitate because he has such a well-rounded game. He’s more than just a defender. That will be his trademark, but he’s got so much more to give.”

Lee has yet to determine who will be in the starting five, but by all indications, it feels like Green is well on his way to securing a spot alongside LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Miles Bridges, and Mark Williams. The Hornets could swap out Green for Grant Williams, but they need a Swiss Army knife of sorts in the backcourt and Green's defensive presence is too valuable to have him in a bench role.

MORE STORIES FROM HORNETS ON SI

Ranking the Top 10 NBA Point Guards Entering the 2024-25 Season

Brandon Miller’s goal for 2024-25? An elite two-way season

Grant Williams and Seth Curry discuss desire to stay in Charlotte and be part of Hornets Turnaround

Jeff Peterson Talks Expectations, New Staff, Injuries, + More at Hornets Media Day