The Charlotte Hornets’ defensive rise last season wasn’t a fluke, and it wasn’t built on one trick. It came from buy-in, structure, and one player who quietly became the hinge for everything they wanted to do on that end: Moussa Diabaté.
Charlotte was as good defensively as it has been at any point in the 2020s, and that showed up in both the numbers and the eye test during a 44-win regular season. Charles Lee deserves a lot of credit for putting together a scheme that fit the roster. But Diabaté’s move into the starting lineup in mid-December was the moment that really changed the shape of the team, especially defensively.
That’s why his role looms so large again this season. The Hornets did not dramatically upgrade their defensive personnel over the offseason, which means Diabaté will once more have to carry a heavy load if Charlotte wants to stay competitive on that side of the ball.
The basic formula for a stable defense is pretty simple: finish possessions and don’t give away free points. Diabaté helps Charlotte do both. Last regular season, he posted a 3.7% foul percentage and a 21.1% defensive rebounding percentage, while also ranking among the league’s best offensive rebounders.
He is also the only center on the roster who can really do a little of everything defensively. Charlotte leaned mostly on man-to-man and rarely used zone, so Diabaté’s ability to switch and handle multiple coverages matters a lot. Even though he is undersized for the position, the 24-year-old is a sharp rim protector, and his timing as a steal-and-deflection threat makes him one of the few real havoc creators the Hornets have on defense.
The results backed that up. Charlotte allowed 2.3 fewer points per 100 possessions with Diabaté on the floor last season, according to Cleaning the Glass.
His impact also showed up in the possession game, which was a major reason Charlotte won with him in the starting five. The Hornets finished in the top two in the NBA in offensive rebounding percentage, defensive rebounding percentage, and overall rebounding percentage. Diabaté was the main player opponents had to deal with on the glass, and that pressure often forced extra bodies toward him whenever Charlotte missed.
That had a direct effect on transition. If opponents had to crash down to box out Diabaté, they could not simply sprint the other way and leak out. That helped Charlotte get set defensively and kept the Hornets from being exposed in space.
Put it all together - the rebounding, the foul discipline, the rim protection, the activity, the energy - and Diabaté stands out as Charlotte’s most important defensive player right now.
There is some frontcourt flexibility available to Lee, but the conclusion is hard to avoid: Diabaté needs to start at center and log upward of 30 minutes a night. That is the clearest path for Charlotte to preserve the defensive versatility that made it so effective last season.
The alternatives behind him come with real defensive limits. Ryan Kalkbrenner can serve as a solid drop-big and a quality backup center, but he is slow-footed and not a switchable or especially versatile option. On offense, he also does not offer the same facilitation or quick decision-making that Diabaté brings.
Hannes Steinbach is an intriguing young offensive player, but he is not ready yet as a pick-and-roll defender to anchor the Hornets at the five, at least based on what he has shown on tape so far.
Naz Reid and Grant Williams give Charlotte some interesting small-ball possibilities in five-out looks, but neither profiles as an ideal defensive center.
No matter how Lee sorts out the minutes behind Diabaté, the burden on him is going to be huge, especially with the perimeter defenders Charlotte is putting around him. The Hornets will need him to hold that whole thing together.
Will he handle it? That still has to be answered. But everything Diabaté has shown as a player and competitor says he’s built for it.
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