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Can Moussa Diabate be Charlotte's long-term answer at center?

Originally posted on Charlotte Hornets on SI
By Matt Alquiza | Last updated Oct 7, 2025 11:03 AM ET

The odds have been stacked against Moussa Diabate for the majority of his NBA career.

The Frenchman entered the NBA Draft after playing one season at the University of Michicgan and was selected in the second round by the Los Angeles Clippers. He spent his first two NBA seasons on two-way contracts, earning a spot on the G-League's All-Rookie team in the first one.

He failed to make a sizable impact in Tinsel Town, and after the Clippers cut ties with Diabate last summer, he joined the Charlotte Hornets on another two-way deal. He quickly outpaced that contract and secured the near-future of his basketball career by signing a three-year standard contract with Charlotte.

Now, just over a year after his status in the Association was on life support, Diabate is slated to play a major role in Charles Lee's plans at center.

With his short-term future secured, what can Diabate do to establish himself as a core piece for the long-haul in Charlotte?

Projecting Moussa Diabate's impact on the 2025-26 Charlotte Hornets

Moussa only played 12 minutes in a blowout loss to Oklahoma City's B-team in Sunday evening's preseason opener, but he acquitted himself well in his limited action.

Charles Lee's defensive strategy against the Thunder involved sticky coverage on the perimeter (that got burned by timely back cuts and off-ball screens) and drop coverage from Diabate when he manned the center position; a bit of a change from the switch-heavy approach Lee employed with Moussa last season.

Although his utilization was different, Diabate still looked like the hyperactive, disruptive, glass-cleaning, undersized force-of-nature that Hornets fans came to know and love last season.

Diabate's active hands, springy lateral athleticism, and vertical pop caused Oklahoma City fits when they tried to attack the fourth-year pro. His versatility on the defensive end, evidenced by the schematic wrinkles Lee can deploy when Diabate gets burn at center, make him an intriguing, yet non-traditional anchor of an NBA defense.

He'll struggle to contain more traditional big men like Nikola Vucevic, Nikola Jokic, and Joel Embiid, but Mason Plumlee was brought into soak up minutes against bruising centers, which would allow Diabate to maximize his strengths as an energizer bunny against undermanned second units.

It is unlikely that Diabate ever develops into the long-term center that Charlotte has been missing for the better part of a decade, but he's proven in extended action over the course of a calendar year that he deserves a spot on this team for the foreseeable future.

His activity levels, his improved hands and underrated passing skills on offense, and his scheme versatility on defense make Moussa a piece worth keeping around, albeit not in a starting role.

Long-term, I believe Diabate will be a valuable piece off Charlotte's bench as a backup to whichever center Jeff Peterson makes a move on ahead of the 2026-27 season (Bam Adebayo? Lauri Markkanen? Jarrett Allen?).

That takes nothing away from the player that he has grown into. Diabate is one of Charlotte's greatest developmental stories in recent memory, and he has 100% earned the role he is slated to play when the regular season tips off in a few weeks.