Moussa Diabaté says winning the NBA Hustle Award has not changed his mentality as he enters another season with Charlotte.
Moussa Diabaté finished training camp in Charleston, S.C., with the Charlotte Hornets after a day of live scrimmaging at The Citadel, five months after the NBA named him its Hustle Award winner.
The Los Angeles Clippers took Diabaté in the second round of the 2022 NBA Draft, 43rd overall, out of Michigan. He spent two seasons with the Clippers on two-way contracts. Charlotte signed him to a two-way deal on July 31, 2024, and converted him to a three-year, $5.69 million standard contract on Feb. 9, 2025.
Last season was the first in which Diabaté opened camp on a standard deal. He appeared in 73 games and made 47 starts, averaging 7.9 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 26.0 minutes, all career highs. He shot 63.1% from the field. His 3.7 offensive rebounds per game ranked fifth in the NBA.
Diabaté Still Feels Like He Has Something to Prove
Diabaté is still trying to prove something.
"It ain't changed," Diabaté said. "I think I have the same perspective. At the end of the day, I ain't really accomplished nothing. I'm still looking at it the same way I was looking at it when I first came in, trying to prove something."
"I think at the end of the day, that's the only way to do it, right?" Diabaté continued. "I'm going to play as hard as I can, trying to get better each and every day. And, yeah, really, that's the whole point. So it doesn't change."
The league announced the Hustle Award on April 30. It is decided by a statistical formula built on deflections, loose balls recovered, charges drawn, screen assists, contested shots, and box-outs. Diabaté ranked in the top 11 in six of the nine categories, including first in offensive box-outs per minute and fourth in screen assists per minute.
He became a full-time starter on Dec. 23. Charlotte was 9-20 through Dec. 22 and went 35-18 the rest of the way to finish 44-38. The Hornets were 31-16 in his starts, and he had 20 double-doubles.
New Guards Give Diabaté More to Learn
The guards around him are mostly new. Charlotte traded LaMelo Ball to the Minnesota Timberwolves this offseason. Coby White, who came over from Chicago in a Feb. 4 trade, is now the starting point guard. Dennis Schröder and Grayson Allen also joined the roster over the summer.
Live scrimmaging is nothing new to this group by now.
"I think that's something that we've been really trying to emphasize," Diabaté explained. "Just, obviously we have a group of young guys, but trying to focus on playing together and how to play with each other, especially with me."
"Understanding what's our new tendencies, like our new guards, and trying to figure out how to maximize their potential and help me maximize my potential," Diabaté continued.
Hornets Have More Frontcourt Competition
The frontcourt changed too. Naz Reid came from Minnesota in the Ball trade, and Charlotte drafted Hannes Steinbach with the 14th pick in June. Ryan Kalkbrenner, the 34th pick in 2025, is back for his second season, and PJ Hall is in camp on a two-way contract.
Diabaté expects a very long season with a lot of ups and downs.
"It was good. It was great," Diabaté said. "I think it's going to be a very long season. There's going to be a lot of ups and downs. For me, I'm just very excited to be with that group. We got a chance to really surprise a lot of people and I'm a firm believer that we're going to do some great things."
Steinbach and Christian Anderson Jr., the 18th pick, went through their first NBA camp this week. Michael Ajayi joined Hall on a two-way deal, and Jarkel Joiner and Wyatt Fricks are in camp on Exhibit 10 contracts.
Being on point, on time, and listening is what Diabaté saw from the rookies.
"They did great. They did great. Yeah, they did great," Diabaté said. "Nothing to say. They've been on point, on time, listening. I think that's the most important part, right? Being able to don't get mad, don't get frustrated by anything that happens. Just play the game and just listen to the coaches and whatever the guys have to say and try to apply it. So, yeah, I'm very excited for them and very happy."
The Hornets guaranteed Diabaté's 2026-27 salary of $2,461,462. This season is the last on his three-year deal.
Charlotte opens its preseason schedule at home against the Brooklyn Nets at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday. The regular season opens Oct. 21 in Brooklyn.
