Rookie Ryan Kalkbrenner Sees Best Outing Yet for Hornets

The Hornets were lauded for their 2025 NBA Draft, where they grabbed numerous bonafide contributors in Kon Knueppel, Liam McNeeley, Sion James and Ryan Kalkbrenner.

Knueppel and McNeeley — as first-rounders who had hot Summer Leagues — were seen as the gems of the draft, with James and Kalkbrenner fine additions to the class.

Through just a handful of games, it’s Kalkbrenner who’s played the best relative to his draft spot at No. 34.

On Thursday night he saw his magnum opus, capping a 17-point performance versus the struggling Magic on 8-for-9 shooting. His hyper-efficiency was paired with a needed three blocks, seven rebounds and one steal, though Charlotte couldn’t ultimately steal a win against Orlando.

So far, his size has proved unstoppable even for NBA bigs. Against the Magic, he trudged down the lane for put-backs, rolled with finesse, got out in transition, and hung around the rim for touch-laden, high-percentage shots.

Through five games, he’s now shooting a blistering 90.5% from the field. That mark is now the highest field goal percentage through five career games for any players since the NBA merger, accounting for more than a few attempts.

Ryan Kalkbrenner is shooting 90.5% from the field with the @hornets.
That's the highest FG% through four career NBA games by any player since the NBA-ABA merger (min. 20 FGA). pic.twitter.com/pxwemMSqQ9
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) October 30, 2025

His other games have shown similar output. He’s scored in double figures in four of the five, going for 10 points against Brooklyn, 14 against Philadelphia and 10 against Miami.

The 7-foot-1 center played five full seasons at Creighton, seeing numerous draft-worthy seasons and finally entering after his fifth season. Several draft experts thought his slower-footed tendencies could prove a challenge at the next level, though it hasn't been so yet.

It wasn't a given that Kalkbrenner would be the team's starting five this year, but he's more than earned a boost in playing time through the team's first several games. They've jumped out to a 2-3 record, but seem to be much-improved on both end's, comparatively to last year's 19-63 season.

Kalkbrenner's been a major part of that in anchoring the paint on both ends, though the Hornets' rookie class in general has jumped out to a fast start. Knueppel is shooting 50% from beyond the arc, and James has added the very same connective scoring and defensive punch on the wing that he did for Duke.

The Hornets next take on the Minnesota Timberwolves, who are sure to offer a tough interior test with Rudy Gobert anchoring the paint. Charlotte will be looking to return to .500, opposed to falling to 2-4.