Unless a major change takes place, the Charlotte Hornets will begin the regular season with a center rotation of Moussa Diabate, Mason Plumlee, and Ryan Kalkbrenner. That doesn't mean they will end the campaign with those three, though. A recent acquisition of their G League squad, the Greensboro Swarm, could find his way into the Hornets' main roster if he proves deserving of a spot.
The Swarm recently announced that they traded for Ibou Badji, a 7-1 big man who went undrafted in 2022 after starting his pro hoops career in Europe. He has then spent most of his days in the G League, while also suiting up in 22 games for the Portland Trail Blazers during the 2023-24 campaign.
Last April, the Senegalese center signed with La Laguna Terife of the Spanish league Liga ACB. However, considering that the Swarm gave up a couple of players and draft compensation to acquire him, he is likely going to suit up for the club this season. That means the Hornets would have a front-row seat to determine whether Badji should get another shot to play in the NBA.
Ibou Badji has shown himself to be a promising interior defender
With Diabate and Kalkbrenner having already positioned themselves to be a part of the Hive at least in the next few years, Plumlee is likely the odd man out if the front office decides to bring in another big man like Badji. However, would the 22-year-old be an upgrade over the veteran?
In Plumlee's defense, he was a surprisingly strong rebounder last season and has displayed the ability to be a connecting playmaker throughout his career. He has also been incredibly efficient shooting the ball, never failing to register a field-goal percentage lower than 51.6 percent in any season.
Unfortunately, he is no defensive powerhouse, demonstrating problems in his mobility on that end of the floor and in protecting the rim. Incidentally, that area is where Badji has looked promising so far.
During his brief stint with the Blazers, he registered 3.2 blocks per 36 minutes. The young defensive anchor was even better last season playing for the Wisconsin Herd in the G League, as he rejected 3.4 shots in 23.4 minutes per contest. Greensboro never had such an intimidating interior presence in the 2024-25 regular season, which should provide Badji with plenty of opportunities to audition for an NBA roster spot, particularly in Charlotte.
Hopefully, his offense will show a lot of improvement in the coming months. He is still quite raw at putting the ball in the basket, although his 62.5-percent shooting clip from the field is a good sign that he can develop into a reliable rim-runner.