HAVING been traded to the Charlotte Hornets in a massive six-team trade over the off-season, Aussie Josh Green found a new home for the 2024/25 fixture.

Having built a place within the Dallas Mavericks’ rotation and played a crucial role in getting the team to the NBA Finals last year, Green made the move to a Charlotte team that was slightly behind in its rebuild, which would have allowed him to have a bigger role.

He immediately secured a starting role next to the likes of Lamelo Ball and Brandon Miller, given he would not demand too much of the ball and could space the floor with impressive three-point shooting to go with his perimeter defending. ‘Three-and-D’ players have found a crucial role within the standing of the game, which is exactly the spot Green fills.

It was a slowish start to his time with the Hornets, pouring in just five points in his first game, before finding his groove as the season rolled on. The wing showed what he was capable of with 12 points on 4/5 shooting against the Boston Celtics, as well as some excellent defence on some of the biggest names in the NBA.

As the fixture rolled on, Green’s minutes improved, which in turn affected his output given he had the advantage of playing with Ball, who draws in plenty of defensive attention with the shotmaking ability he possesses. This allows Green to hold his depth on the perimeter and often finds him wide open in the perimeter, although his star teammates are the first option when it comes to shooting the ball.

He really began to get going in the back half of the fixture, which included a four-game stretch to close out the month of January where he scored double-digits in all of his outings. He also posted a season-high 20 points on 7/11 shooting from the field and 6/9 shooting from behind the arc against the SAN Antonio Spurs.

The Hornets will be encouraged by how he finished the campaign, becoming a consistent double-digit scorer in the final batch of games and showing that he can have an impact on both sides of the ball, despite a slow start to his tenure in Charlotte.

On the season, Green averaged 7.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.1 steals per game on 42.8 per cent shooting from the field and 39.1 per cent shooting from behind the arc, which was a career-best level of efficiency when it comes to long range shooting.

Although it was a bumpy start to his time in Charlotte, Green eventually found his feet and became a dangerous defensive matchup around the perimeter. Despite his numbers going down in comparison to his time in Dallas, there is plenty of reason to believe he is set to be a crucial piece for the Hornets moving forward.