The Charlotte Hornets didn’t land a flashy lottery pick in the 2025 NBA Draft — but they may have found something more valuable: stability. Ryan Kalkbrenner, selected 34th overall out of Creighton University, arrives with one of the most polished defensive resumes of any college big man in recent memory. A four-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year and one of the NCAA’s top shot-blockers (2.7 rejections per game, 399 total), Kalkbrenner brings immediate rim protection to a Hornets roster in desperate need of it.
At 7-1, Kalkbrenner isn’t a pogo-stick athlete, but he doesn’t need to be. His defensive game is built on anticipation, timing, and positional discipline — traits that Charlotte’s coaching staff has reportedly compared to a young Brook Lopez. He excels in drop coverage, utilizing his length and awareness to contest without fouling, and his ability to communicate on defense could accelerate his role in a rotation that has lost both Mark Williams and Nick Richards earlier this year.
Offensively, Kalkbrenner is more functional than flashy. He converted over 65 percent of his field goals as a senior at Creighton and has shown just enough as a face-up shooter to hint at long-term pick-and-pop potential. He hit 31 percent of his career threes — not sufficient to warp defenses, but enough to make opponents think twice about leaving him completely unguarded. His experience — 169 collegiate games — gives him an edge most rookies lack.
Ryan Kalkbrenner's path to a starting job with Hornets
Still, there are questions. Kalkbrenner’s athletic ceiling is limited; he’s not going to sky over defenders or chase blocks from the weak side. NBA guards will test his foot speed in space, and stronger centers will challenge him on the block. Offensively, he’s system-dependent — reliant on guards to generate looks rather than creating for himself. His touch is soft, but his perimeter shooting remains a work in progress, something defenses will exploit early.
Even so, the early signs are encouraging. In Charlotte’s preseason opener, Kalkbrenner logged 25 minutes off the bench and posted 11 points, seven rebounds, two steals, and a block, flashing the poise and positioning that defined his college career.
The path to a starting job is straightforward but demanding: stay out of foul trouble, anchor the paint, rebound consistently, and provide just enough spacing to keep driving lanes open for LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller. Kalkbrenner doesn’t need to become a star — he just needs to be reliable. And for a Hornets team long searching for a defensive identity, that reliability could be exactly what earns him real minutes sooner rather than later.