The Charlotte Hornets are built to run their offense through the likes of Brandon Miller, Naz Reid, and Coby White. Similarly, Charlotte has invested heavily in the center position, with the likes of Ryan Kalkbrenner and Hannes Steinbach being drafted over the past two summers to anchor the interior. A quiet truth is that it's Moussa Diabate who has his fingerprints all over the Hornets' future.
It's still early in the season, but Diabate is already defining how the Hornets are building and progressing on both ends of the floor.
Diabate, 24, ranks among the most underrated big men in the NBA. He's thin at 210 pounds, but he uses his 6'10" frame, 7'2.5" wingspan, and explosive athleticism to fly around the court causing chaos on offense and defense alike.
That helped Diabate record 17 points and five steals in the Hornets' season-opening win over the Brooklyn Nets, and 11 points, 17 rebounds, 11 offensive boards, and three blocks in a recent win over the Washington Wizards.
For those who watched Diabate play a season ago, this comes as no surprise. He was essential to Charlotte's late-season surge, ranking in the 71st percentile in rim protection, the 85th percentile in overall screener defense, the 88th percentile in defensive rebounds per 75 possessions, and the 96th percentile in offensive rebounds per 75 possessions, per Basketball Index.
Much has changed about the Hornets' roster orientation since 2025-26, of course, but Diabate is already proving to be a pivotal piece of the newly-constructed roster.
Moussa Diabate is the Hornets' engine on both ends of the floor
A season ago, the Hornets ran something of a small-ball lineup with Diabate at the 5 and Miles Bridges and Miller working the forward spots. Charlotte is modern traditional, if you will, in 2026-27, however, after effectively replacing Bridges at the 4 with former Sixth Man of the Year Naz Reid.
Reid is by no means a conventional power forward, but he offers more traditional skills alongside his shooting and ball-handling and has thus given the Hornets a stronger interior scoring presence.
That makes Diabate's role quite vital in that he must be able to adapt to Reid's ability to do just about everything on offense. When Reid's working the perimeter, Diabate's elite offensive rebounding will come into play. When Reid's working inside, Diabate's lackluster jumper must be compensated for with his underrated passing and active screening.
The same goes on defense, where Diabate's versatility complements Reid's 264-pound frame and strength to give the Hornets invaluable balance.
Moussa Diabate plays a role in everyone's individual success
Along those same lines, Diabate's screening is essential to helping shot creators such as Kon Knueppel, Miller, Dennis Schröder, and White run the offense. His offensive rebounding creates second chances, but it's his activity and omnipresence throughout plays with screens, handoffs, and flares that unlock the offense's potential.
Defensively, Diabate's ability to switch against ball-handlers when defending the pick-and-roll is the ultimate bailout for his teammates.
Compounded by his screening for off-ball players, Diabate's role is effectively to help everyone do a little bit of everything. There may ultimately come a time when Kalkbrenner or Steinbach are prioritized, but it's hard to envision that scenario considering how well Diabate is playing.
Diabate may not be the conventional big man for the modern era, but it's the way he makes his mark in just about every phase of the game that proves how essential he is to team success.
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