When the 2026 NBA Draft took place on June 23, the Washington Huskies men's basketball team broke a six-year drought.

Forward Hannes Steinbach was picked 14th overall by the Charlotte Hornets, making him the last lottery pick of this year's draft. He was the program's first player selected in the first round of the NBA Draft since 2020, when Jaden McDaniels and Isaiah Stewart were both taken in the first round.

When Steinbach was selected, there was an expectation that he would become an instant impact player for the Hornets, specifically when it came to rebounding and in the pick-and-roll.

Steinbach was included on Charlotte's Summer League roster and impressed in a game against the Orlando Magic, in which the Hornets came back from 10 points down to win 86-74.

In Charlotte's win, Steinbach recorded a 15-point, 11-rebound double-double.

Huskies fans are no strangers to see Steinbach recording double-doubles, as he impressed offensively and on the boards in his lone year on Montlake last season.

Steinbach, who was recorded by head coach Danny Sprinkle out of Germany, led Washington in points and rebounds.

The 6-foot-11 forward averaged 18.5 points on 57.7% shooting (34% from 3-point range) across 30 games (all starts). He also averaged 11.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.2 blocks and blocks per game.

Steinbach's 11.8 boards per game led the nation. He had 22 double-doubles last season, which was tied for the most in the country. The other player tied for Steinbach for the double-double mark was Cameron Boozer, who was taken third overall in the '26 draft out of Duke.

Steinbach's tenure in the Pacific Northwest didn't end the way he or the Huskies would have wanted. The team finished 16-17 and was eliminated by the Wisconsin Badgers in the Big Ten postseason tournament.

The German forward's time in Washington was fruitful enough that the team went back to international waters to recruit several players. This offseason alone, Sprinkle and the Huskies earned commitments from Brazilian forward Wini Braga, Australian Guard Tristan Devers and Croatian forward Boris Tisma. Last year, while Steinbach was still on the roster, Washington landed Serbian forward Nikola Dzepina, who joined the team in December and opted to return for next season.

While the Huskies hope to get similar returns from their latest international players they got from Steinbach, the new Hornet will be attempting to make his name known in the NBA ranks.

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