Hannes Steinbach, Christian Anderson Jr. Didn't Get Their Own Spotlight... Yet

I’ll address it, since it was hard for almost anyone else to:

Last Thursday’s introductory press conference for Charlotte’s two first-round picks — Hannes Steinbach and Christian Anderson — was weird.

I mean, I have full 50% shared custody of my daughter.

Doesn’t mean I particularly ENJOY being in places with her mother, even though I have to do these things often. I do what I have to do.

Hannes and Christian did what they had to do that day, but it doesn’t mean it didn’t feel weird.

I bring up this incredibly personal point because, ultimately, when I tried to think of the kinds of metaphors to explain how the air felt in the Spectrum Center last week?

I couldn’t find one. It took an example of this extreme to really elaborate to you how the energy was, and I truly hated that for the two new rookies.

The family support for both of them at the event was massive, but the elephant in the room just happened to be larger. After a slew of Hornets trades this past weekend, I think we’ve cooled off enough to write a think piece on Charlotte’s two new youngsters.

Their talent demands our attention.

"Hannes, he's a guy that we targeted early on,” Jeff Peterson told the media Thursday afternoon. “We did see him play in some of the international competitions. Of course, (we) watched him a ton at Washington, as Sam just touched on; the leading rebounder in the draft, but also his IQ and ability to process the game, score on the interior, and (Hannes) provides a great amount of versatility as well. So excited to watch his maturation over the duration of his career, and there's no doubt that he's going to continue to help us again develop into the organization that we want to be. Christian, just one of the, again, if not one of the best three-point shooters in this draft. To be able to shoot 42% on threes, I think, eight attempts – even Kon Knueppel told me yesterday that that's very hard to do. So, if you're hearing it from him, then it does carry some weight. But the other thing with Christian, too, is just his ability to play pick and roll, make the correct reads, process the game. Both these guys are very selfless; they have a tremendous work ethic, and again, there's no doubt that both of them are going to continue to elevate us, you know, to where we ultimately want to go.”

We’ve heard about the 3-point shooting from Anderson. We’ve heard about the rebounding from Steinbach. But I’ve really tried to dive into what makes these guys special.

Hornets GM Jeff Peterson, after the first round of the NBA Draft, spoke to the media about the strengths of Anderson Jr. and mentioned his ability to create his shot on and off the dribble.

What excited me most about Anderson’s immediate translation to the NBA was his ability to spot up, more than anything. Anderson’s chances to create his own shots off the bounce this year will be limited, and, similar to Sion James last year, the playing time he gets will depend on how he handles those open looks.

The guard from Texas Tech did this at an ELITE level in college: Anderson Jr. ranked in the 93rd percentile (1.29 Points Per Possession) in the entire country last year… and he was Tech’s primary initiator of offense. He found ways to get himself involved off the ball and constantly took advantage of those open opportunities. Great indicator.

For Steinbach, as others have said, it’s his rebounding

Mar 7, 2026; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Washington Huskies forward Hannes Steinbach (6) warms up before the game against the Oregon Ducks at Matthew Knight Arena. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“Rebounding always translates to the NBA,” said Peterson. “I don't think there's any coach or player that doesn't want rebounds. So if you can secure more possessions for your team, it's hopefully going to give you a better chance to win the game. So that's something that Hannes can bring right away.”

It’s far deeper than Steinbach’s ability to grab the most rebounds in the box score any given night.

His reflexes and positioning are legitimately absurd. Watch this clip below: Hannes dives to the basket, and it takes a SINGULAR look back – before his teammate is fully into his shot, mind you – for Hannes to know his teammate's tendency quickly enough to begin positioning himself for a box out and putting a body on his man:

After a frenzy of trades and my wife's birthday, this piece is about to come out.

Only posting this clip as a point of reference for that column: pic.twitter.com/LX0vOCiV3q
— Owen Watterson (@0wenwatterson) June 30, 2026

This kid has truly elite situational awareness, and I think it’s a big part of the reason we heard Christian Anderson Jr. refer to Steinbach as “cerebral” so many times. It’s a great description. I also asked Peterson and Lee at the press conference what some of the super small things on tape were that stood out to them about the two rookies, and Peterson didn’t mention Steinbach’s quickness to put a body on someone for a box out, but he mentioned an even smaller trait that most fans won’t notice.

Screening angles.

“I think you know, with Hannes, I'll start with just screening angles. You know, sometimes I don't think that gets enough attention in today's game. You know, guards, sometimes they complain because they can't get open. But Hannes, I think, does a tremendous job of, you know, again screening and getting these guys open and making, you know, Christian, in this case, or the guard's defender, you know, re-routing them, so that's something small with him.”

When you start to watch Steinbach’s games at Washington, the little things really start to add up quickly. More on Hannes later, but the same is true with Anderson Jr. about the little things adding up. The Texas Tech guard himself might be PERCEIVED as little, but Peterson was also adamant that Anderson Jr. plays much bigger than his height.

More room to grow??? Literally???

Christian Anderson shoots a 3-pointer during Texas Tech basketball practice, Thursday, September 26, 2024, in United Supermarkets Arena. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

It’s also been said by Anderson Jr. to a local news station in Charlotte that his doctor told him his growth plates aren’t fully developed yet. Christian could STILL get taller. He already plays taller than he’s listed, anyway.

“With Christian, I probably just go back to, again, he's scrappy in his hands and his anticipation,” Peterson said. “You know, I think being able to think the game and process the game in real time and be a step ahead, he's able to do that, so that'd be my take (on Christian).”

Peterson isn’t lying about Anderson’s real-time ability to be cerebral, which is funny – cerebral was an adjective Anderson Jr. himself used multiple times to describe Hannes Steinbach.

Anderson is wonderful at putting guys in jail despite his small frame; he uses his body to shield off defenders while he waits for plays to develop. In these situations, Anderson Jr. is also incredible at using his eyes to manipulate off-ball defenders while he preps to decide whether to shoot, drive, or pass.

Anderson was the primary ball-handler on 690 PnRs in his sophomore year at Texas Tech alone, scoring 1.045 points per possession in those 690 attempts. The Hornets, (not so) coincidentally, had the highest pick-and-roll rate in the NBA last year under Charles Lee, with PnRs accounting for 38% of their offense.

“He's very good with the ball in his hands,” Peterson said after I asked about Anderson’s ability as an on-ball creator after the draft. “Again, he is savvy in the pick-and-roll. He can make the right reads, whether it's a seam pass (or a) pocket pass. He can find corners; he can throw lobs. It's exciting… just excited to have his IQ and playmaking with us.”

The rookie is going to have the opportunity to contribute in that arena right away: LaMelo Ball was responsible for 35% of the 3,616 pick-and-roll possessions that the Hornets ran last year.

To say there’s a big hole needing to be filled would be a Lavar Ball-sized understatement, and while Coby White will certainly be Charlotte’s starting point guard, I’m convinced at this point Christian Anderson Jr. is going to get a ridiculous amount of burn… despite my expectation that this team will add another point guard not named Tre Mann.

“I just feel like everything that I bring is: Obviously, my offensive skill set, pick and rolls, you know, shooting on and off the dribble,” Anderson Jr. said in the media’s Zoom press conference following the draft. “I feel like I can space the floor just as well as I can make plays for my teammates, you know. I play both roles, and I pride myself on being plug-and-play. So, playing in any type of situation I'm asked to play in, I feel like I can do it, and I adapt really fast, and (I'm) just a person who's willing to do anything it takes to, you know, win and do all the little things; whatever the coach asked me to do, I'll do it without any problems.”

Hannes Steinbach (left) and Christian Anderson Jr. (right) pose for a picture with their jerseys at Spectrum Center after their first in-person press conference. | Photo Courtesy of Owen Watterson, Hornets On SI

Steinbach himself is a surefire, no-doubt team guy. He’s quiet, sure; I don’t believe it’s so much a language barrier – I believe he understands everything said in English just fine – but his access to English vocabulary to elaborate on the points the media wishes he would simply isn’t there.

That’s okay. Steinbach is all ball and no ego, anyway. A man of few words isn’t the worst thing for the Charlotte Hornets. A man of few words, yes, but also a man of many rebounds, as we all know at this point.

But unlike Anderson Jr., it’s not so much Steinbach’s on-court ability that has me tantalized by the thought of his fit with this team. Again, the rebounding is elite.

I think, more importantly, as you’d expect from Hornets DNA, Steinbach seems to me to be an even better human being than he is a player. There are a lot of guys in the NBA who take it for granted.

I just watched Jeff Teague tell a story about former NBA player Kenyon Martin, who Teague claims would essentially stop trying at certain points in the game because he didn’t want to become “too big” a star. I don’t think Steinbach is aware of ANY of those dynamics.

This is a guy who is genuinely thrilled beyond belief just to be in the NBA. There are fewer than 30 born-and-raised Germans who have ever played in the NBA (28 total since 1946), and Steinbach doesn’t strike me as the guy who will take that for granted one bit. He was born on a farm, where his family tended to roughly 70 horses (not all of which they owned). He knows the value of hard work off the court…

Those are always the guys who are the safest bets to GROW the most on the court. Putting in the extra work won’t be WORK for Steinbach? It will be a privilege. That’s the attitude most folks who come from a background like his carry with them… his upbringing is so far from entitlement that I'd be surprised if Steinbach even knew the word.

In Deutsch or English. He’s someone I’m happy to bet on because the right mental frame of mind will carry you farther in the league than any amount of talent will. Christian Anderson spoke to Steinbach’s ability, but the small bit he added of his own free will as a teammate is the kind of stuff I’m talking about. You don’t just toss that in if you don't mean it:

“Hannes is very skilled,” Anderson Jr. said. “I mean, everybody knows his rebounding, you know, led the country in rebounds. But I think his ability to know where the ball is going to land, and you know, offensively, where -- in pick and roll -- we played a lot (together) so he knows exactly where to be; like, he knows exactly what spots to get to. So I think he's just really cerebral in how he plays the game, both offensive, defensively, and then he's an even better teammate. So yeah, I love playing with him.”

Jeff Peterson added his thoughts on the two rookies’ character and ability after the draft, and I believe it further speaks to how important the character aspect of these players is. Even more so than it was made out to be with Knueppel last year… He came from a good family and was about the right things. Steinbach and Anderson Jr. do, too.

But I get the sense that both have this ridiculous chip on their shoulder, the likes of which we didn’t see in last year's class.

“I can't tell you what opportunity is going to be there this year for Christian and Hannes,” Peterson started, notably saying this before the LaMelo Ball trade was announced. “But I do know that, again, with their mentality, they're going to take it serious, and every day try to take advantage of whatever opportunity they do get. So there'll be some learning curves for sure, right? It is a step up from, you know, the next level. But again, I do know that they're, like I said, they're about the right things, and they're gonna continue to work and take advantage of any opportunity they do get.”

Steinbach is the guy who loves to learn. It goes back to not taking this for granted. The German national hasn’t seen the glitz and glamour that even someone like Anderson Jr. has, thanks to the AAU circuit. He’s going to soak in every bit of knowledge he can from anyone and everyone.

“Yeah, very excited to learn from everybody in the big man group,” Steinbach said in his first in-person presser at Spectrum Center. “Yeah, just always open to learn new things. You know, those guys have more experience than me. So just like, you know, seeing and watching them, every practice and learning from them will be very exciting. I think my motor is just what, like, makes me such a good rebounder. I just go take every offensive rebound and defensive rebound, and then just kind of trying to find proper position early, and then just making a play on the ball.”

A man of few words, but it doesn’t take many to explain how to get a rebound. It takes a lot of IQ and a lot of dirty work that nobody sees. Moussa Diabate knows all about that, and Peterson spoke highly of any prospect who can rebound at an elite level coming out, not just Steinbach.

“Rebounding always translates to the NBA,” Peterson said Thursday. “I don't think there's any coach or player that doesn't want rebounds. So if you can secure more possessions for your team, it's hopefully going to give you a better chance to win the game. So that's something that Hannes can bring right away.”

I think, ultimately, that there’s more that both of these two first-round picks can bring right away than any of us are giving them credit for.

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