When the Charlotte Hornets brought in Moussa Diabate with one of their two-way deals, they were probably pleasantly surprised that they had stumbled onto one of the most promising young rebounders in the league. Now, some folks outside Charlotte have also begun to notice.
He has definitely come a long way, as he secured a standard contract with the Hornets before the 2024-25 campaign ended. The organization has yet to guarantee his contract for the 2025-26 season officially, but that appears to be a foregone conclusion, especially because of his knack for cleaning the glass.
Fred Katz of The Athletic recently offered praises for Diabate on "The Zach Lowe Show," although they can be misconstrued as backhanded compliments.
The reporter admitted to being obsessed with the 23-year-old center, calling him the "most fun rebounder in the league" because of his hustle and determination to get the ball. Katz also pointed out how Diabate "doesn't care to ever box anyone out" but still manages to corral a lot of boards, particularly on the offensive side.
The numbers back up the observation. Diabate's 5.4 offensive rebounds per 36 minutes ranked sixth in the entire league last season. He finished 12th in total boards per 36 minutes with 12.7.
Doubts on Moussa Diabate being a capable starter remain
However, Katz also suggested that Moose isn't a "30-minute center," which would provide the Hornets with a massive problem if the Frenchman cannot prove the assessment wrong. It seems the squad will be rolling with him as the starting center once the regular season opens.
Another school of thought is that Charlotte will probably be fine not having Diabate on the floor for around 30 minutes, as Ryan Kalkbrenner and possibly Mason Plumlee will also get their turns anchoring the paint for the club.
Even so, there are hopes that Diabate won't merely be a high-motor rebounding specialist moving forward. He has the tools to at least be a reliable rim-runner and brick-wall screener on offense. Defensively, he will likely encounter problems guarding taller and heavier opponents, but those are deficiencies that he should seek to address if he desires to become one of the league's best big men.
The good news is that Diabate has an opportunity to improve his craft this offseason, as he was named a part of the preliminary roster of the French men's national basketball team. He still has a challenging task ahead of him to don the national colors for EuroBasket 2025 despite the absence of its best big men, Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert. If Les Bleus values his rebounding as much as Charlotte does, he should lock up a roster spot with the international powerhouse.