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Charlotte's offseason overhaul proves they have immense faith in Moussa Diabate

Originally posted on Charlotte Hornets on SI
By Matt Alquiza | Last updated Jul 28, 2025 11:21 AM ET

Think back to February of 2025.

On the 5th of the month, the Charlotte Hornets sent shockwaves through the NBA world when they dealt Mark Williams to the Los Angeles Lakers in a cloak-and-dagger, midnight move that upended the team's present and future.

Less than 48 hours later, new starting center Moussa Diabate racked up nine points and 15 rebounds in a last-second victory against the San Antonio Spurs, holding his own against wunderkind and fellow countryman Victor Wembanyama.

In a video released by the Hornets following the win, Charles Lee announced to the team that Diabate's contract had been converted from a two-way to a standard NBA deal, putting an exclamation point on his meteoric rise from understated offseason addition to core piece of the Hornets' rotation for the foreseeable future.

Both Williams and Nick Richards were traded away, and the door to big-time minutes that Diabate jarred loose with his stellar play was kicked wide open by the front office's belief in their upstart center.

We all know what happened next.

Charlotte traded for Jusuf Nurkic to supplement Diabate, the Williams trade was rescinded, and a log jam was created in the Hornets' front court that relegated the ascendant talent back to his role as an energy big off the bench, forced again to fight for the minutes he rightfully earned.

Now, five months later, Diabate has been afforded to opportunity to play a large role on Charles Lee's team. Again.

Diabate projects to start at center for the Hornets

Although Charlotte's President of Basketball Operation Jeff Peterson went on a shopping spree for NBA-ready talent this summer, he mostly skipped the center aisle, plucking stop gap options Ryan Kalkbrenner and Mason Plumlee off the end caps.

While I believe the main reason Peterson attacked the offseason in this way is centered around insulating Charlotte's offensive floor for if/when LaMelo Ball misses time, I believe the lack of impactful movement at the center position also signaled a real belief in Diabate's promise.

The young center was immensely impactful in his lone season with the Hornets. Diabate's energy wasn't just infectious - it was key to Charlotte's limited success.

Although he only stands at 6'9" and is rail-thin compared to his league-wide counterparts at the center position, Diabate is a monster on the boards. Among players who appeared in at least 65 games (the NBA's minimum for award eligibility), Diabate ranked 20th in defensive rebound percentage, and 6th in offensive rebound percentage. He slithered around the court like Gumby and exploded off the floor to snag rebounds on both sides of the court to secure possessions for the Hornets in his 17.5 minutes per game.

The bet is that Diabate can extrapolate that top-end production over an extended period of time. Starting 82 games at center is an exhausting task for anyone, let alone an undersized big who relies on his energy levels to impact games.

Starting the season with Diabate at center is a gamble, but he showed enough flashes in his first chance at extended NBA minutes that it is at least a calculated one. The Moose got loose enough to earn the opportunity to prove his viability as a starting center in the NBA, and this time there won't be any chicanery from an opposing franchise to stunt his chance at big-time minutes.