Apr 13, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics center Neemias Queta (88) fouls Charlotte Hornets forward Moussa Diabate (14) during the second half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

Moussa Diabate talks about his transition from the Clippers to the Hornets

Originally posted on Charlotte Hornets on SI
By Ryan Stano | Last updated Aug 21, 2025 9:05 AM ET

Moussa Diabate signed with the Charlotte Hornets before the start of last season in an attempt to garner more playing time as a young player without much reputation, other than being a scrappy rebounder.

Diabate played in a career-high 71 games with the Hornets last season and was converted to a standard NBA contract. While he was with the Clippers, Diabate hardly got any playing time, mainly because he was a younger guy on a team full of superstar veterans.

Hornets forward Moussa Diabate talks about his transition from the Clippers to Charlotte

Diabate signed with the Hornets as a free agent prior to last season. He recently talked about the differences between playing with the Clippers as opposed to playing with the Hornets.

️ Moussa Diabate: "When I joined the LA Clippers, I came in as a young guy. The team was much older; you had guys like Kawhi Leonard, Russell Westbrook, John Wall... so it was more about learning than really playing."

"But when I moved to the Charlotte Hornets, it was a… pic.twitter.com/oHzsIotfJN
— r/CharlotteHornets on Reddit (@HornetsReddit) August 18, 2025

"When I joined the LA Clippers, I came in as a young guy. The team was much older. You had guys like Kawhi Leonard, Russell Westbrook, John Wall...so it was more about learning than really playing."

Diabate knew that he wasn't going to get the minutes that he needed to truly become a solid NBA player, and that's part of the reason he chose to sign in Charlotte.

"But when I moved to the Charlotte Hornets, it was a completely different situation. Both our bigs, Nick Richards and Mark Williams, got injured... that opened up an opportunity for me, and I took it. It's a younger team, so I made the most of my chance."

Diabate was able to take advantage of the playing time he got last season, and now he looks like he has a firm spot in the rotation for the next few years.

Ideally, Charlotte would be able to use him off the bench as a high-energy guy. He played 17.5 minutes per game last season, and actually has a real shot to start with Williams and Richards now gone.

It would make more sense for Diabate to come off the bench and play perhaps 20 minutes per game, but Mason Plumlee might be the only other viable starting center they have on the roster.

Last season with the Hornets, Diabate averaged 5.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 0.8 assists per game.