It will be interesting to see how the Charlotte Hornets' offseason will unfold. They have several roster holes to address, and the draft will be the first avenue for them to find much-needed reinforcement.
The presumed target for the franchise is Cooper Flagg, although it has just a 14.0 percent chance of landing the presumed first overall pick in this year's draft.
Now, let's say the worst-case scenario takes place for Buzz City, where it will be on the clock several selections later. It's unclear which prospect would catch Charlotte's fancy.
Missing out on the likes of Flagg, Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey, and VJ Edgecombe could have the Hornets considering bringing a big man, such as Khaman Maluach, as a Mark Williams replacement. Or should the team hold onto Williams in the event that it does draft a center and just look for a new home for Jusuf Nurkic and his expiring contract?
What about Moussa Diabate, who was quite a revelation for the Hornets this season despite limited minutes?
Hornets' Moussa Diabate dilemma can be resolved if he develops an outside shot
The Hornets' glut at the center position presented an intriguing conundrum for the squad during the regular season. While Williams had locked onto the starting slot, the backup spot was where it got tricky. Before he got traded, Nick Richards appeared to have been the preferred second-string center. That left Diabate waiting for either guy ahead of him on the depth chart to be sidelined to play meaningful minutes despite showing promise as a rebounding, rim-running machine.
More opportunities opened up for "The Moose" when Charlotte shipped Richards to the Phoenix Suns.
But not long after, the trade partners came together again to swap some veterans that had the Hornets landing a future first-round pick and absorbing Nurkic's contract. So, Diabate was once again left picking up the scraps.
Even so, the young Frenchman led all Hornets players in games played in the 2024-25 campaign, making 71 appearances.
The question now is if he will feature more prominently in Charlotte's lineups next season. He certainly has the talent and motor to at least get consistent backup minutes even if the club weren't dealing with injuries. However, if Diabate wants to boost his chances of becoming a bona fide rotation player, he should probably try extending his range to the 3-point area.
For now, such a development might seem implausible, especially since 92.1 percent of his field-goal attempts this season came from a distance of zero to 10 feet from the rim. The 23-year-old big man also tried just six shots from long range, sinking none.
What he has going for him is that his jump shot mechanics look solid enough that he might be able to develop an outside shot if he devotes enough time to work on it. Unfortunately, the summer might be too short for Diabate to add the 3-pointer to his limited offensive arsenal.
Still, such a skill is what he needs to increase his odds of becoming a regular in the Hornets' rotation moving forward.