Hornets are making a Josh Green realization that Mavericks fans can't deny

The Dallas Mavericks' biggest move of the offseason came early into free agency when the team acquired Klay Thompson as part of a six-team sign-and-trade.

Dallas was looking for more shooting following a pitiful NBA Finals appearance in which the Boston Celtics beat them in five games, and Thompson was expected to be part of the answer to that issue. Thompson is shooting 38 percent from three on the year on 7.9 attempts per game, but fans can't forget that Dallas also had to give up one of their main role players from the season prior as part of the sign-and-trade that netted them Thompson.

Dallas sent Josh Green to the Charlotte Hornets to help the salary work in this deal, and this move came less than a year after Green signed a three-year contract extension with the Mavs. Dallas punted on Green's potential in order to land one of the greatest shooters of all time, but the Hornets are starting to realize something about Green that Mavs fans can't deny anymore.

Green is showing he can truly be a knockdown 3-point shooter

Despite playing inconsistently on defense and struggling with inefficiency on two-pointers, Green is turning into a knockdown 3-point shooter, and Mavs fans could start to see signs of that over his last few seasons in Dallas.

Green shot 39.3 percent from three over his final two seasons with Dallas, and his hot shooting rolled into the playoffs last season. He shot 39 percent from downtown on 2.7 attempts per game in the 2024 NBA Playoffs, and that made him the third-best 3-point shooter in the playoffs for Dallas (>1 attempts per game), only trailing Maxi Kleber and Jaden Hardy.

He even shot above 50 percent from three in the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics, and he was one of the few players on the roster who could make open shots in that series.

His efficient shooting from downtown against Boston has rolled into his play for the Hornets, as he is shooting a career-high 42.1 percent from three for Charlotte, and his 3-point shooting off the catch has been the strongest part of his game this season.

Mavs fans always knew that Green could be a good 3-point shooter off the catch when he was playing with confidence, but his confidence seemed to always be fluctuating over the years. Him going through a couple of elbow injuries over his last two seasons with the Mavs doesn't help that, but the release always looked good when he was playing with rhythm and was fully healthy.

Mavs fans always wished that they could have gotten this type of consistency and confidence from Green when he was letting it fly from downtown, and fans' eyes weren't playing tricks on them when it came to how he played as a shooter in the playoffs last season as he has kept up the good shooting as a member of the Hornets.

He showed that he can be an excellent shooter when given the volume, and the Hornets are reaping the benefits of his hot shooting as that has been his best skill this season. His efficiency from two-point range has dropped significantly, but it's undeniable that Green can be a valuable 3-point shooter when given the opportunity now.