Charlotte Hornets center Ryan Kalkbrenner left Summer League with a little more to show than just the rim protection that already made him useful as a rookie. The second-year big man logged important minutes for Charlotte, and Hornets Summer League coach Blaine Mueller came away wanting more force around the basket.
“Another guy who's protecting the rim, adjusting between coverages pretty, pretty frequently,” Hornets Summer League coach Blaine Mueller said. “Obviously, want to see him around the rim with more force.
I think we've seen that, too. Had a couple finishes in traffic and-ones.
Stuff where he's a little bit more physical, a little bit more on balance, understanding what he needs to do around the rim when he's in traffic.”
Kalkbrenner’s first NBA season gave Charlotte plenty to work with. He averaged 7.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game while shooting 75.3 percent from the field, a solid rookie line for a 24-year-old center still carving out his place in the rotation.
That role, though, won’t come easy. Kalkbrenner is in the mix with newly acquired big Naz Reid, along with Moussa Diabaté and rookie Hannes Steinbach, for minutes at center.
Diabaté is also pushing for the starting job and brings a strong case of his own after averaging 7.9 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists and a block per game while shooting 63.1 percent from the floor. Beating him out for the first five will be a tough assignment for Kalkbrenner.
Summer League did show a few areas where Kalkbrenner can expand his game. He improved as a playmaker and shot blocker, even if the efficiency dipped a bit, finishing with averages of 5.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, three assists and 3.7 blocks per game while shooting 57.1 percent from the floor.
That playmaking growth matters for Charlotte, especially after the team traded away its lead guard, LaMelo Ball, to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Hornets are going to need production and decision-making from more than one source, and Kalkbrenner’s ability to help in that area could end up being part of the equation.
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