Surprise rookie is making case to be Hornets' opening night starter

Ryan Kalkbrenner might be one of the most interesting names to watch as the Charlotte Hornets prepare for the start of the 2025-26 regular season. Despite being the team's last pick among its four selections in this year's draft, he has a high chance of securing a starting spot on opening night.

Center appears to be the Hornets' weakest position at the moment after trading Mark Williams and Jusuf Nurkic and quickly replacing them with Kalkbrenner and Mason Plumlee.

Moussa Diabate is the holdover and looks like the logical choice to start at the five. He is currently Charlotte's best rebounder by a mile, but he doesn't offer much anywhere else, particularly in the interior defense department. The young Frenchman does have an extra pep in his step and can switch onto smaller, more agile players if needed. However, he might not be the rim protector that a squad starved of perimeter defense needs.

Plumlee will likely give the coaching staff a few reasons to consider him for the spot. He can offer the starters another playmaker, although defense and rebounding would be a problem with him as the anchor.

Ryan Kalkbrenner's skill set is what Hornets need at the five

So, the 23-year-old rookie might be the Hornets' best candidate for the role.

On offense, he has shown the ability to stretch the floor and score off lobs, putbacks, and drop-offs. Defense is where he can help them the most, as his height and wingspan were instrumental in his development into one of the best rim protectors during his time in college. Kalkbrenner's relative lack of mobility may be his undoing, but the right defensive system could allow him to excel on that end of the floor.

Unfortunately, despite his length and heft, he is a weak rebounder. His uneven performances in Summer League have not inspired confidence that he can crash the boards well in the professional ranks. On the other hand, Charlotte has plus-rebounders in LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges, and possibly Brandon Miller that could compensate for one of Kalkbrenner's shortcomings if Charles Lee decides to roll with him in the starting lineup.

It still remains to be seen, though, if the Creighton University product will be playable once the regular season begins. In addition to his rebounding deficiencies, he has yet to prove capable of anchoring an NBA-level defense. To be fair, he recorded seven blocks in his first two Summer League appearances, including a game-sealing rejection against the Philadelphia 76ers.

In all likelihood, Diabate will end up securing the spot on opening night. It wouldn't be a bad choice if he shows that he can maintain or even hopefully improve his impressive play from last season. However, Kalkbrenner certainly deserves consideration because of his potential to be a stretch rim protector.