Out of every second-round pick in June's NBA Draft, Hornets center Ryan Kalkbrenner might have the clearest path to significant minutes in his rookie year. That has as much to do with Kalkbrenner himself (who was the four-time Big East DPOY) as it does with the Hornets center rotation being scarily thin. Mason Plumlee and Moussa Diabaté are the other big man options on this team, and each has a significant question attached to them.
For Plumlee, the question is whether, at 35 years old, the Hornets want to give him significant minutes. He obviously doesn't match up with this team's timeline and although he's a relatively safe option at the position, he doesn't give fans a ton to look forward to. That's not disrespect for Plumdog, though, I promise.
For Diabaté, the question is whether he can make the jump from being a solid center in low-leverage situations (he played 17.5 minutes per game last season with the Hornets) to reliable starting center. He might be able to do that, but even if he does, there will be lots of minutes up for grabs at the five spot for the Hornets, and Kalkbrenner is the obvious choice to fill them.
Offensively, Kalkbrenner has a long, long way to go before he's ready to contribute as a scorer. But he wasn't drafted to get buckets, he was drafted to prevent them; and if he does that at a high enough level early on, combined with the huge opportunity he'll get in Charlotte... could he sneak his way into
Ryan Kalkbrenner could be an immediate presence for the Hornets
Of course, you can say any rookie will be "in the hunt" for Rookie of the Year before the season starts. But Kalkbrenner's shot-blocking is one of the most NBA-ready skills of any player in the draft, and rim protection often translates to the NBA faster than other skills — so he could already have a leg-up on other draftees who rely on scoring or passing as their primary forms of contribution. His 399 blocks in college ranks No. 29 all-time in college basketball. All-time!
While a lot of this remains speculation until the season actually starts, the writing is on the wall that Kalkbrenner is going to be an immediate part of the Hornets' rotation. From Kevin Pelton of ESPN:
Having traded Mark Williams to the Phoenix Suns, the Hornets are likely counting on either second-round pick Ryan Kalkbrenner or Moussa Diabate to step into a starting role.
Granted, that piece was actually about how the Hornets have a roster hole at starting center, but... that's still a good sign for Kalkbrenner being in the rotation, and that he'll have a chance to impress early and show that he can fill that hole.
It's an uphill climb to Rookie of the Year contention for anyone not named Cooper Flagg, so whether Kalkbrenner ever has a real shot at winning the award depends more on how a lot of the lottery picks fare. But big block and rebound numbers, which Kalkbrenner should provide when he's on the court, should at least move him into the outskirts of the discussion, and that would be plenty for Hornets fans.