This Charlotte Hornets player is starting to draw some attention.
The Charlotte Hornets have been one of the most fun teams in the NBA this season, having gone 22-6 over their last 28 games to surge into the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
Not only that, but the Hornets are winning their games by an average of 18.5 points, giving them the largest margin of victory in wins in NBA history.
Who saw that coming after a 19-win campaign last season?
The young core of LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel has been absolutely tremendous this year, but the Hornets' talent goes beyond that trio.
Charlotte added Coby White at the trade deadline, and Ryan Kalkbrenner has flown under the radar as one of the league's top rookies.
And then, there is fourth-year big man Moussa Diabate, who recently forced his way into the No. 92 spot on The Ringer's top 100 NBA player rankings.
"On December 20, Hornets rookie center Ryan Kalkbrenner sprained his elbow, an injury that thrust Moussa Diabate into the starting lineup and turned Charlotte’s season around by creating the most diabolical five-man unit in basketball," The Ringer wrote. "Diabate is a luxury. He’s a hellacious rebounder who sets bone-crushing screens, switches onto just about any type of scorer, and even creates his own shot when the Hornets need him to. What’s not to love?"
Charlotte Hornets center Moussa Diabate. Credit: Brian Westerholt-Imagn Images.Diabate is averaging 8.2 points and 8.8 rebounds over 25.9 minutes per game while shooting 62.7 percent from the floor this season. In addition, he boasts a ridiculous plus-12.5 net rating.
"This is someone who routinely impacts winning without the ball in his hands," The Ringer added. "He creates so many second (and third) chances for one of the more creative and efficient offenses in the NBA. When he’s on the court, Charlotte looks like a legitimate title contender. When he sits? Not so much."
Of course, the question is whether or not the Hornets actually view Diabate as their franchise center given his severe offensive deficiencies.
Diabate is a fantastic defender and a high-energy player that absolutely deserves a spot in Charlotte's rotation moving forward, but offensively-challenged players like Diabate tend to get exposed in the playoffs.
There is also the question of whether or not the 210-pound Diabate can actually hold up consistently against some of the larger centers in the NBA.
That being said, there is no doubt that Diabate has played a major role in the Hornets' turnaround this season. He has one year remaining on his contract after this year.
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