Charles Lee benches Naz Reid

Sports · Heat 4.8 / 10 · 2 shows · 9m airtime

The Detroit Pistons beat the Charlotte Hornets 97-89 on October 29, 2026, and Naz Reid did not play after the 3:19 mark of the second quarter. Charles Lee said Reid did not meet the team's standards in the first half and would not play in the second. Broadcast review now places the benching at the three- or four-minute mark, after a blown sideline play and a missed defensive assignment. The discussion is whether a coach should say that publicly, and whether the benching signals Charlotte's post-LaMelo, post-Bridges direction.

How 2 podcasts covered it

1. The Athletic NBA Daily, 2026-10-29 (42:34 to 47:27)
   Debates Lee's public benching of Reid
   Takes up Naz Reid's benching in Charlotte's 97-89 loss to Detroit: Lee pulled him at the 3:19 mark of the second quarter and said afterward he did not meet the team's standards. The hosts rewatch the possession before the timeout and debate whether saying it publicly was a misstep.
   New angle: Charles Lee benched Naz Reid for the final 27 minutes of the Hornets' 97-89 loss to Detroit.
2. Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective, 2026-10-30 (21:18 to 25:21)
   Reconstructs the benching from broadcast footage
   Reconstructs the benching from broadcast footage: a botched sideline out-of-bounds play, a back-and-forth with Charles Lee, a missed defensive assignment, and Lee pulling Reid into the huddle near the three- or four-minute mark of the second quarter. Notes Charlotte's thin local coverage after the Observer downsized its beat writer.
   New angle: Broadcast sleuthing places the benching at the three- or four-minute mark of the second quarter, after a blown sideline play and a missed defensive assignment.