The Hornets centers have been shockingly good and it is changing everything

When the Charlotte Hornets traded Mark Williams and Jusuf Nurkic during the offseason and replaced them with Ryan Kalkbrenner and Mason Plumlee, there were questions about how the room would perform.

The Hornets had a center room with a second-round rookie, a 35-year-old veteran who at this point is a "stay-ready" player, and the only returning big was entering his first season on a standard NBA contract.

So, it's safe to say that Charlotte's center rotation was a big question mark.

We are now three games into the regular season. The center rotation has averaged a combined 9.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.2 blocks, and has shot 73.5% from the field. In fact, one could even argue that the centers have been one of the positives for the Hornets thus far.

There is a three inch height difference between Moussa Diabate and Ryan Kalkbrenner. Diabate stands at 6'10, while Kalkbrenner is 7'1.

On paper, Kalkbrenner checks all the boxes of an NBA center. He's a tranditional rim-protecting, pick-and-roll big, and is expected to eventually add a three point shot to his game (even if it likely will not be this season). Diabate does not, as he profiles out to be a more mobile, forward/center hybrid, and likely will not be taking threes anytime soon.

Yet, the two have so many similarities in their game, to a point where fans are divided as to who should start at the five.

Diabate's defensive strengths rely on the fact that he can guard the perimeter as well as the paint. He can routinely guard smaller players, and his ability to switch is perhaps one of the best in the entire NBA. He has a motor that is always going, and when there is a loose ball, he's always first to it.

As for Kalkbrenner, he's a shot blocker and positional defender. Kalkbrenner lives in drop coverage, which is in part due to his 7'1 frame. Unlike Diabate, Kalkbrenner struggles to guard the perimeter or switch. That being said, his IQ and verticality make him one of the better paint defenders in the game right now.

Offensively, the two are close to the same player, with the main difference being their height and weight. Neither can shoot the three-ball, and they are heavy pick-and-roll players. Kalkbrenner primarily lives in the paint, getting himself in good positioning to get a putback or receive a pass for an easy dunk. Diabate is the same; however, his smaller size allows him to move around more.

Three games into the season, and Kalkbrenner has been the starting/closing big so far for the Hornets. His IQ continually puts him in good positioning to get an easy bucket for the Hornets, and said easy baskets are almost always a dunk.

What has allowed them to work so far is the difference in their games. Diabate's energy is invasive, and when he's on the court, his energy stands out. He's not the tallest on the court, and his box-out abilities are sub-par, but Diabate forces his way to get the Hornets a rebound, no matter who is around him.

To this point, it still seems like Kalkbrenner's size and IQ give him a boost to get the start, while Moussa can bring energy off the bench. As the season progresses, it's likely we see the starting center for the night be based off the matchup, to which it falls down to who is set to control the paint for the opposing team that night.

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