CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- As the Charlotte Hornets wrapped up their fifth practice of the preseason, one thing was clear: there is no room for gray areas under new head coach James Borrego.

• Hornets have been grinding to shore things up on defense 
• Hornets tip things off with the Boston Celtics Friday
• RELATED: New-look Hornets head to camp

"The only way to gain clarity when you're on the court playing basketball is to communicate [and] talk," Borrego said after practice Thursday. "Otherwise people just do whatever they want, coverages are whatever they want, players do whatever they want on the court and that's not who we are."

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Many people have talked about the Hornets new up-tempo style off offense, but one area that's been a primary focus of communication has been on defense. The Hornets have been grinding to shore things up on the defensive side of the ball this week in Chapel Hill.

"Defense is what we can rely on every night," Hornets center Bismack Biyombo remarked. "Offense comes and goes, but defense, we've got to find a way to establish that and it's going to win games for us."

"If you come in with a defensive mindset, knowing 'I'm going to stop my man' or 'I'm going to try and make my teammate better playing good defense' then that's going to help the team, that's going to help you," added guard Jeremy Lamb.

The Hornets tip things off with the Boston Celtics Friday night inside the Dean Smith Center at 7:30 p.m.