One of the most interesting names to watch this summer on the Charlotte Hornets is Moussa Diabate. Some folks believe he should be able to lock up the starting center spot on the opening night of the regular season, and a strong offseason should help his cause. Diabate can also strengthen his case if he is able to display remarkable growth in his game while suiting up for Team France.
However, he still has to show the French Federation of Basketball (FFBB) that he is worthy of being selected to be part of the main squad that will compete in EuroBasket 2025. For now, he has made it to the preliminary roster, which is already a huge achievement, considering how deep the French men's national basketball team pool is. After a training camp and some rounds of friendly games, the FFBB will determine who will make up the magic 12.
What should help Diabate achieve the feat is that Les Bleus will be without mainstays Rudy Gobert and Victor Wembanyama this year. Even so, it will still be a steep hill to climb for the Hornets youngster, as he still has plenty of competition for a final roster spot, including the first two picks of the 2024 NBA Draft, Zaccharie Risacher and Alex Sarr, as well as international hoops veterans Vincent Poirier and Guerschon Yabusele.
Hornets fans should root for Moussa Diabate to make the cut
Diabate's rebounding prowess and ability to guard multiple positions, which is quite important in international basketball, should help his Team France candidacy. The Hornets faithful should throw their support behind the 23-year-old big man because getting some reps in one of the most prestigious European tournaments would help him in preparing to be a key piece for Charlotte once the regular season starts.
If he does make the cut, it would be his first time playing for the French senior squad. Moose suited up for its under-16 team in the 2018 FIBA European Championship, where he averaged 11.1 points and 10.3 rebounds per game and the club placed fourth. The following year, he received a call-up for the 2019 FIBA U18 European Championship, recording 13.1 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per contest in the tournament.
The Les Bleus' training camp has already started, and we'll find out if Diabate will get the honor of donning the national colors sometime before the group stage of EuroBasket opens on August 28.