Moussa Diabate is in his second year with the Hornets, and he's quickly becoming one of Charlotte's most fundamental and useful players.
If the game of basketball was just about getting buckets, the Charlotte Hornets probably wouldn’t be in the position they’re in.
Desperate to find any sustained success.
Throughout the years, Charlotte has had itself an abundance of high-profiled scorers, but the fundamentals of the game has certainly lacked over time.
The Hornets are getting some exceptional play out of their center Moussa Diabate, who is quickly solidifying himself as one of the NBA’s best rebounders.
Over the past four games, Diabate has averaged 13.3 rebounds per game, including 6.5 offensive rebounds per game – the most out of all centers.
Controlling the glass on the offensive end is so critical in a team’s success, creating second, third, and sometimes fourth chance points.
Currently, nine of the top 10 teams in offensive rebounding are teams in playoff position, and eight out of the top 10 teams in second chance points are in the playoffs as well. Charlotte, is currently ranked eighth in second chance points, averaging 16.3 points.
And a lot of this success has been because of Diabate’s aggression on the boards.
Head coach Charles Lee was singing his praises after the Hornets came away with the 126-109 win against the Washington Wizards in the game before Christmas, where he posted 12 points and 18 rebounds.
“We’ve got to highlight my man Moussa,” Lee said following the 126-109 victory. “That's another part of our offense that's really clicking. He's played more and had 18 total rebounds … When he comes up with offensive rebounds, there are so many people that just try to go up by themselves, and it becomes a little bit of a selfish thing. Every time he gets it, he's thinking a little bit, how can he score? But once he feels the crowd, he's kicking out. That's how we're getting so many open looks, too. So, credit to Moussa."
According to Spencer Davies of RG, Diabate’s extra emphasis on rebounding has positively impacted the Hornets winning games.
In all of the NBA, Diabate has the top offensive rebounding percentage, and when he’s on the floor, Charlotte is grabbing 36.9% of its misses. When he’s sitting on the bench, that number drops to 27.4%.
“Just go for it. I think that's the main mindset,” Diabate told Davies. “It doesn't change at the end of the day. It's always trying to go get whatever you can get. If that has to be through one person, two people, three people, the whole team, sh**, the whole coaching staff with it, then I'll try everything I can.”
During this impressive stretch by Diabate, the Hornets have gone 2-2, which included a seven point loss to the Cavaliers and a 10-point loss to the Bucks.
Not only that, pundits and fans across the league have been complimenting the Hornets for being a “fun” team to watch.
Perhaps Charlotte makes a run to get to the Play In. It’s only three games back from the 10 spot. But one can already argue that significant process has been made in the rebuild