'He didn't meet our standards': Hornets HC Charles Lee explains Naz Reid benching

Entering play on Wednesday, the Charlotte Hornets were off to a 3-1 start and had gotten excellent contributions from several offseason additions.

One of those offseason additions was 27-year-old power forward Naz Reid. Reid was acquired from the Minnesota Timberwolves and had made a major impact through his first four games with Charlotte.

It seemed like Reid was on the way to another excellent performance Wednesday against the Detroit Pistons, but Hornets head coach Charles Lee had a different opinion.

Naz Reid was benched in the second half of Wednesday's loss

After posting seven points and six rebounds in the first half, Reid began the second half on the bench. Hornets analyst Dell Curry speculated that it may be Lee wanting Reid to give Charlotte some bench scoring in the second half, as no injuries were reported.

As the half went on, though, Reid continued to be on the bench, and he never entered the game while the Hornets watched a seven-point halftime lead squander into an eight-point defeat.

After the game, Lee was asked about Reid's absence in the second half, and he revealed that the decision was made for Reid to be benched after halftime.

"Unfortunately, he didn't meet our standards in the first half, and at halftime we made the decision that he wouldn't play in the second half," Lee said of Reid. "I look forward to him meeting those standards come next game."