Losing starting center Mark Williams and his replacement Nick Richards has delivered a devastating blow to the Charlotte Hornets' hopes of trying to compete for a playoff spot this season.
Of course, the team remains a dark-horse candidate, especially with LaMelo Ball playing at a high level and Brandon Miller starting to recover after running into the dreaded sophomore wall.
In addition, the injuries to the big men have allowed the coaching staff to grant some of the Hornets' youngsters more minutes and prove themselves. Among those who have responded well to the unexpected surge in playing time is Moussa Diabate.
Hornets have key decisions to make about Diabate
As fans might remember, Diabate was the first Hornets reserve to play in the 2024-25 regular season. The move came as a bit of a shocker to some spectators, but in hindsight, coach Charles Lee was definitely onto something. Since then, the third-year pro has become one of the team's most pleasant surprises.
Despite his emergence as a vital rotation piece for the Hornets, they have yet to fully unleash the young Frenchman.
His playing time has been inconsistent, which was marked by Lee's questionable decision to play him a little less than 12 minutes against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday. Diabate played a bit more in Charlotte's one-point loss against the Brooklyn Nets, although he deserved to stay on the court for over 15 minutes.
Lee finally made the highly anticipated move to put Diabate in the starting lineup on Thursday. The big man responded by pulling in a career-high 16 rebounds and wreaking havoc on a Detroit Pistons frontcourt featuring Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart.
An intriguing part of his stat line, though, is his lack of offensive touches. He has just averaged just 1.0 points and 2.0 field-goal attempts per game. Perhaps Lee should start looking for ways to get Diabate involved on offense. It's unfair to expect him to be a decent post-up player. However, he has shown the potential to be a great screener and rim-runner, which could make him and LaMelo Ball a potent combination.
Furthermore, it's time for the Hornets to convert the former second-round pick's two-way deal into a standard contract — even if it requires opening up a roster spot. Lee has already hinted that there have been conversations within the organization about upgrading Diabate's contract. Hopefully, those conversations bear fruit in the coming weeks.
Some might be concerned about where Diabate would fit into the picture once Charlotte gets back Williams and Richards. However, it has become evident that his skills and qualities are assets for the franchise.