Hornets Big Man Makes Huge Impact in Two Unexpected Areas

Moussa Diabaté had 5 steals and 5 offensive rebounds Wednesday night as the Charlotte Hornets beat the Brooklyn Nets 110-103 at Barclays Center in their first game of the season.

He scored 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting and made all 3 of his free throws. Diabaté added 8 rebounds and 3 assists in 33:38 at center.

Charlotte finished with 9 steals, and 5 of them were his. He also grabbed 5 of the Hornets' 15 offensive rebounds.

The Nets turned it over 22 times, and the Hornets scored 21 points off those turnovers. Charlotte outscored Brooklyn 20-8 in second-chance points and 48-44 in the paint.

Hornets coach Charles Lee listed "deflections" and "guys diving on the floor" among the winning plays his team made down the stretch.

Diabaté also committed 4 turnovers and 4 fouls. Charlotte was outscored by 16 points in his minutes.

Five Hornets scored at least 17 points. Grayson Allen had 21, Naz Reid had 20, Dennis Schröder had 19, and Brandon Miller had 18.

Diabaté started next to Reid in the frontcourt, with Kon Knueppel and Coby White out. Ryan Kalkbrenner played 13:58 behind him, and Charlotte outscored Brooklyn by 22 with Kalkbrenner on the floor.

Last season, Diabaté began the year as Kalkbrenner's backup and ended it as Charlotte's starting center.

He averaged 7.9 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 73 games and shot 63.1% from the field. He pulled down 3.7 offensive rebounds per game.

A year ago, in a 136-117 opening win over Brooklyn at Spectrum Center, Diabaté scored 13 points off the bench. He was one of nine Hornets in double figures that night, a franchise record.

His career high is 21 points. He set it at Barclays Center against the Nets on Feb. 10, 2025, and left that game with a right eye abrasion.

Born in Paris, Diabaté was drafted 43rd overall by the Los Angeles Clippers in 2022 out of Michigan. He played 33 games over two seasons with the Clippers and spent part of his rookie year with their G League team in Ontario, where he averaged 15.9 points and 12.4 rebounds in 18 games.

The Clippers declined to give him a qualifying offer in the summer of 2024. Charlotte signed him to a two-way contract July 31, 2024.

In February 2025, the Hornets converted that deal into a standard three-year contract. He averaged 5.7 points and 6.2 rebounds in 71 games that season.

Charlotte's frontcourt also includes Grant Williams, who missed the opener with a right hamstring strain, and rookie Hannes Steinbach, who did not play Wednesday.

Before camp, The Ringer named Reid a breakout candidate for 2026-27.

Diabaté's opener showed why he remains part of that rotation. His 5 steals and 5 offensive rebounds gave Charlotte extra possessions on both ends, even on a night when the overall plus-minus was not in his favor.

Diabaté will earn $2,461,462 this season, the third and final year of his contract.

The Hornets' home opener against the Atlanta Hawks tips off at 7 p.m. ET Friday at Spectrum Center.