Through the Charlotte Hornets' first 24 games this season, they have barely been able to field plus-defenders at the wing. Things probably would have been different had they created a roster opening to retain Josh Okogie, who has been a valuable rotation piece for the Houston Rockets.
Sion James has performed admirably as a perimeter stopper. However, he has been unplayable in some possessions due to his underdeveloped offensive skills. He started the 2025-26 campaign with remarkable shooting efficiency, but his percentages may have already regressed to the mean.
The Hornets are still awaiting Josh Green's return, and we cannot discount the possibility that he could be the catalyst behind their rise in the standings. It might be tough for some fans to be optimistic, though, based on the veteran's production last season.
Without a strong wing defense, Charlotte has been one of the worst in the league in preventing buckets. It allows opponents to hit a fourth-worst 49.2 percent of their shots. What's more concerning is that it is last in opponent 3-point field goal percentage at 39.3 percent.
Giving up on a coveted 3-and-D swingman
It's understandable if a good chunk of the Hornets faithful wonder now whether the franchise should have given Okogie a chance to show his mettle in the purple and teal. His defensive versatility has been instrumental in the Rockets' top-five defense. It's worth noting that he is fifth on the team in defensive rating and second in defensive box plus/minus.
In addition, the 2018 No. 20 pick has been an above-average player this year, according to the stat published by Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey that takes into account all qualified (over 200 total minutes played so far) players' rankings on 10 "catch-all" metrics from around the internet. Not bad for a guy that was deemed expendable by the Hornets and who is earning $3.1 million this season.
If he were still in Charlotte, Okogie probably would have been tasked with covering the greatest perimeter threat. And if Charles Lee had to deploy a lineup with him and either James or Green, the 27-year-old vet probably would have had no qualms with guarding the foe's point guard or power forward.
On offense, he also wouldn't have been the black hole that some people thought he would be. He may be averaging a modest 6.5 points per game this season, but he is shooting a career-high 40.0 percent from downtown.
Unfortunately, we are left to only imagining how Okogie would have fared if the Hornets had kept him instead of making him the casualty of the roster crunch they faced in the summer. As for Houston, it is fortunate to have found a versatile gem that has fit well with Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson, and the rest of the squad.