Josh

Green

Salaün did not play in Saturday’s win over the Bulls, sitting out with a sore left ankle. Josh Green played 25 minutes off the bench, and the Hornets had to go small when fill-in PJ Hall was not on the floor, given the team’s many absences in the frontcourt.

After missing almost a month, Connaughton will be available to suit up off the bench for Charlotte. The veteran wing has played a minimal role this season. Tidjane Salaun and Josh Green may lose a couple minutes with Connaughton back, but that isn’t guaranteed and won’t impact fantasy basketball regardless.

Green saw his first action of the season on Friday, so neither the minutes nor the production should be surprising. And his fantasy prospects moving forward don’t look all that promising, as Kon Knueppel has established himself as a key building block, and Sion James (14/4/1 with two three-pointers) offers a higher offensive ceiling than Green. While his defensive ability should get him on the floor, there’s no need to consider rostering Green in redraft leagues.

Green is set to make his season debut after undergoing left shoulder surgery in June. Given the time missed, his minutes are likely to be restricted for conditioning reasons. When healthy, Green is a solid defender who does not offer much fantasy value on the offensive end of the floor. He’s worth watching, but should not be considered a must-add, especially with the Hornets adding Kon Knueppel, Sion James and Liam McNeeley via last June’s draft.

There were already reports that both players would miss camp, but not having any idea of when they’ll be healthy is pretty typical for the Hornets. Their lack of clarity when it comes to injury reporting in recent years has been a frustration. Hopefully they’ll provide a better timeline soon, but don’t count on it. With Kon Knueppel in the mix now, neither Williams nor Green was likely going to start or be impactful in fantasy basketball anyway.

Green is still working his way back to full strength after undergoing surgery in June to address instability in his left shoulder. Therefore, he is not expected to participate in training camp and has no defined return timeline. With the Hornets adding Collin Sexton via trade, Green appeared likely to come off the bench if he were guaranteed to be healthy when the season begins. Also, with the Hornets having Brandon Miller and adding two wings in the first round of this summer’s draft, Kon Knueppel and Liam McNeeley, Green will face more competition for rotation minutes than he did in 2024-25.

Green is expected to make a full recovery, though he’s out indefinitely and without a timetable to return. A first round pick in 2020 by the Mavericks, Green moved into the Hornets starting lineup late in the year as Charlotte dealt with multiple injured starters. While Green had some good performances, he needs to become more of a consistent scorer to be a fantasy asset in the future.

The Hornets are short on physical wings. Okogie has been starting while Green has missed Charlotte’s last three games, but now both of them are out. DaQuan Jeffries could be poised for a return to the starting lineup against Toronto.

Tuesday’s game will be the third Green has missed since injuring his left shoulder during an April 2 loss to the Pacers. While DaQuan Jeffries made one start in his absence, Josh Okogie was the choice for Sunday’s loss to the Bulls. Neither player has been consistent enough to merit being streamed in Green’s absence.

Green left Wednesday’s game against the Pacers in the first with a shoulder injury and it appears the injury will linger, keeping him out Friday against the Kings. DaQuan Jeffries will likely continue to fill in for Green.