What Kalkbrenner did right against Dallas, and what can be expected from him going forward

The rookie is finding his footing in his first ever NBA preseason

Candice Ward-Imagn Images

It had been a tough first two preseason games for Ryan Kalkbrenner, chasing around Oklahoma City's mobile big men at the perimeter while being far away from the rim he's so good at protecting.

Charles Lee, maybe sensing that the Dallas game would be a more suitable matchup for his rookie center, slotted him into the starting lineup despite the shaky minutes against OKC in what turned out to be a great move.

Not only did Kalkbrenner have a strong game against a good Dallas frontcourt, but he also gave Hornets fans hope that he could be a semi-regular contributor in the regular season.

Let's take a look at what stood out!

The Finishing has translated (14 points, 7/7 field goals vs DAL)

One of Kalkbrenner's biggest strengths in college was his finishing touch. He took the third most shots at the rim of any Division I player last season, making 79.5 percent. Nobody else came close to achieving that combination of high volume and efficiency.

There were multiple plays against Dallas that showcased the two major scoring opportunities that will present themselves to him in the Hornets offense: Putbacks and deep catches as a rollman.

The putbacks will always be there for someone of his size and stature, but it was really important to see him stay composed and make the right decisions when it came to screening and then consequently cutting to the rim.

The Rebounding will be reliable, mostly (10 rebounds, 4 offensive vs DAL)

At 7'1'', Kalkbrenner is expected to get active on the boards, and he did do that, for most parts. Ironically, he had his way with the equally gigantic Dereck Lively II, consistently boxing him out on defense and tipping rebounds away from him on offense.

The word "ironically" was used because the 6'10'' Dwight Powell was a bit of a tougher cover. Powell's mobility when fighting for boards and ability to run the floor caused Kalkbrenner a few problems here and there. Nothing major, but something to keep an eye on heading into the Memphis game.

What awaits Kalkbrenner against the Grizzlies?

With Zach Edey, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Brandon Clarke all out laboring their injuries, it looks like Kalkbrenner has to deal with any of Jock Landale, Santi Aldama, and GG Jackson II.

Santi Aldama took a career-high 326 three-pointers last year | Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Aldama and Jackson II are both the exact type of center you don't want Kalkbrenner guarding. They take threes, they are relatively quick, and their shooting gravity forces their matchup to follow them away from the rim.

Landale is a bit different. On the Grizzlies' official Website, he's listed as one inch shorter than Aldama, but 40 pounds heavier. He's not quite your classic slow, tall, inside-only big man either, though.

He'll take a rare deep shot here and there, and he's also got a bit of a midrange game. There's no reason to aggressively guard him at the perimeter or jump at the slightest of pumpfakes, but his jumpshot can't be fully ignored.

Simply put, he is the type of big man you wish Kalkbrenner could handle on top of the complete non-shooters.

What will his performance in the rest of the preseason tell us?

If Kalkbrenner looks subpar against Memphis, it would only confirm what we've learned throughout the previous preseason games. You can throw him out there against the Livelys of the league, everything else, probably not ideal.

If he looks good, it would be a sign that just maybe, Ryan Kalkbrenner can actually take on more matchups than many people, me included, initially assumed.

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