Hannes Steinbach’s first NBA training camp has already given him a clear read on the jump from college to the league: the game gets bigger, faster and a whole lot more physical.
The Charlotte Hornets rookie spent this week at The Citadel in Charleston, S.C., working through his first camp a little more than three months after Charlotte made him the 14th overall pick on June 23. For Steinbach, the early takeaway has been less about the playbook and more about surviving the force of it all.
"I think physicality and speed, especially playing against a guy like Moussa," Steinbach said. "He's very physical, very fast for his size, so just adjusting to that and being able to play against that and control against that."
That’s the kind of test the Hornets wanted him to face. Moussa Diabaté, who won the NBA's Hustle Award in April, started 47 games at center last season and posted 7.9 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game. His 3.7 offensive rebounds a night ranked fifth in the league.
Charlotte’s frontcourt picture also includes Naz Reid, who came over in the LaMelo Ball trade with Minnesota, and Ryan Kalkbrenner, the 34th pick in 2025, who is back for his second season.
Steinbach, though, isn’t walking into camp blind. He said spending the summer around the team has made the transition far smoother.
"It helped a lot," Steinbach explained. "Just being around everybody, being around the coaches throughout the whole summer, knowing the place a little bit, knowing our coverages. So now it's not too much at once, so it's been definitely helpful to have been here all summer."
That summer included Las Vegas, where Steinbach showed plenty. He opened Summer League with 15 points and 11 rebounds off the bench against the Orlando Magic, then turned around and delivered 27 points and 15 rebounds in his first start against the Milwaukee Bucks, going 13-of-22 from the field.
Over five games, he averaged 15.8 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 1.4 assists, and finished with back-to-back 20-point double-doubles. Charlotte went 1-4.
Now the focus shifts to earning a role once the games count. Steinbach said the path to minutes is straightforward: do the dirty work, keep moving, and make the right reads.
"I think just playing physical, playing hard, playing the right way, running the floor, just making the right plays, give [my] body up for the team," Steinbach said. "So just making the right plays to get into the rotation."
The Hornets also gave him another familiar face this month. Charlotte acquired Dennis Schröder and cash from the Cleveland Cavaliers in a trade announced Aug. 20 that sent Tre Mann out of Charlotte.
Schröder, 33, is the captain of the German national team and the MVP of the 2023 FIBA World Cup. He’s also on his 12th NBA team.
For Steinbach, that matters. Christian Anderson Jr., whom Charlotte drafted 18th overall out of Texas Tech, is also German, giving the camp roster three players from Germany. Steinbach said Schröder has already been a useful presence.
"I haven't played with him yet in Germany, but it's great to have him here," Steinbach said. "Just having somebody talk German to is nice, just having his experience on the court and also his tips off the court is very helpful."
That familiarity has been part of the backdrop to camp, which ran at McAlister Field House from Sept. 29 through Oct. 2. The team had dinner together the first night, and Steinbach’s third day was lighter after two demanding practices.
For a rookie trying to carve out minutes, the message is simple: adapt quickly, play with force, and keep up with the pace.
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