Charles Lee Praises Hannes Steinbach’s Consistency After 19-Point, 10-Rebound Game

Hannes Steinbach played 27:34 off the bench Friday night at FedExForum, more than any other Charlotte Hornets player.

The rookie finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds in a 116-98 preseason loss to the Memphis Grizzlies.

He made 7 of his 9 shots from the field and all 5 of his free throws. Five of the 10 rebounds came on the offensive end.

Steinbach added 3 steals and 2 turnovers. He finished plus-4, one of two Hornets with a positive mark in the preseason finale.

Charlotte drafted Steinbach 14th overall on June 23, the last pick of the lottery. Before that, he spent one season at Washington, where he started all 30 games and averaged 18.5 points and a Big Ten-leading 11.8 rebounds in 34.6 minutes. He shot 57.7% from the field and posted 22 double-doubles.

Hornets coach Charles Lee said there will be games where Steinbach is still figuring it out.

"I think just with more reps, young guys that take some time," Lee said. "And he's going to have some great games. He's going to have some games where he's still trying to figure it out."

"But the thing that I love about him is just there's a consistency with his effort," Lee continued. "There's a consistency with his care factor and the work that he puts in every day. So whenever you have habits like that, you're bound to have some success."

Moussa Diabaté was inactive Friday. Ryan Kalkbrenner started at center and played 15:40, with 2 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 blocks.

Last season, Diabaté started 47 games at center and averaged 7.9 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 1.9 assists.

Steinbach did not attempt a 3-pointer against Memphis. His teammates found him for open shots under the rim.

"I just try to do the right habits, just [crash] the glass every time," Steinbach said. "My teammates found me on some open shots under the rim, so it just turned out well this game."

In the preseason opener Oct. 6, a 124-90 loss to the Brooklyn Nets at Spectrum Center, Steinbach had 7 points and 4 rebounds in 14 minutes. He went 2-of-4 from the field and 3-of-4 at the line.

His Summer League debut against the Orlando Magic produced 15 points and 11 rebounds off the bench.

In his first start in Las Vegas, against the Milwaukee Bucks, he scored 27 points on 13-of-22 shooting and grabbed 15 rebounds.

He averaged 15.8 points and 9.2 rebounds over five Summer League games.

Memphis started Zach Edey at center Friday, and Edey finished with 9 points, 6 rebounds, and a plus-23 in 20:44.

Steinbach's focus is on playing physical and letting the game slow down around him.

"They're very physical, Edey especially," Steinbach explained. "He's really tall, really strong, so it's been a good time to adjust to that, and definitely more physical than I've ever played, so just getting used to it will help me a little bit more."

During his first training camp, at The Citadel in Charleston, S.C., Steinbach said NBA physicality and speed were his biggest adjustments.

Steinbach is from Würzburg, Germany.

His father, Burkhard, played for Würzburg in the Bundesliga and coached Hannes in the youth ranks, and Hannes played for Würzburg himself in 2024-25.

Playing for Germany, he won gold at the 2024 Under-18 EuroBasket and silver at the 2025 FIBA U19 World Cup.

Christian Anderson Jr. was his teammate on both teams. Charlotte took Anderson four picks after Steinbach, and he scored 10 points in his preseason debut at Boston after missing two games with a sprained ankle.

The Hornets open the regular season Wednesday against the Nets at Barclays Center. Tip-off is 7:30 p.m. ET.