Former Creighton Bluejays center Ryan Kalkbrenner. Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

Former Nets All-Star is perfect blueprint for Hornets' Ryan Kalkbrenner

Originally posted on Charlotte Hornets on SI
By Colin Keane | Last updated Sep 21, 2025 12:49 PM ET

Charlotte Hornets rookie center Ryan Kalkbrenner has the chance to be a special NBA player, but nothing is guaranteed. There are legitimate concerns about whether Kalkbrenner is strong and athletic enough to survive the brutal rebounding wars of the NBA, but on the other hand, there's so much to like about the former Creighton Bluejay.

Kalkbrenner is mentally tough, has a high basketball IQ, and he proved incredibly durable for a player of his size during what ended up being a legendary career under Greg McDermott at Creighton.

What's amazing about Kalkbrenner is that he steadily improved throughout his five-year college journey, and at 23, he might still be a long way away from his ceiling. That's amazing news for the Hornets, of course.

To reach his full potential as an NBA center, Kalkbrenner is lucky that there's a current NBA player who provides a perfect example of what Kalkbrenner could ultimately become. All he'll need to do is be willing to watch a bunch of old Nets games and rev up his three-point shooting reps in the offseason (easier said than done).

Hornets' Ryan Kalkbrenner could thrive by emulating former Nets All-Star Brook Lopez

Brook Lopez, currently with the Los Angeles Clippers, has had a much better NBA career than most fans realize, and he happens to be the ideal blueprint for a young center of Kalkbrenner's physical profile and skill set.

Lopez won a title with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021, but his Nets career alone was incredible. The 7-foot-1 center played 562 games with the Nets and became their all-time leading scorer before he left. He also made an All-Star team in 2013 as a member of the Nets.

The one big thing that Lopez added to his game later in his career was a three-point shot. Lopez didn't even start shooting threes until his final year in Brooklyn (2016-17), when he hoisted 5.2 of them per game at a 34.6 percent clip.

Lopez's status as a stretch big emerged in Milwaukee. He enters the 2025-26 season as a 35.2 percent shooter from downtown in his career.

Brook Lopez is a great goal post for Ryan Kalkbrenner's development

Interestingly, Kalkbrenner only had two attempts from three in his freshman season at Creighton, but that number increased each year, and the center took a career-high 61 threes in his final college season in 2024-25. Kalkbrenner shot a career-best 34.4 percent from three last season for the Bluejays, finishing his career at Creighton with a 31.1 percentage.

Standing at 7-foot-1 just like Lopez, Kalkbrenner offers natural rim protection on defense. If he can develop into a serious three-point threat at the next level, the Hornets just made an excellent pick at No. 34 in the 2025 NBA draft.