Hannes Steinbach vs. Moussa Diabaté: Which Hornets Center Should Start?

The Charlotte Hornets made a ton of changes to their starting lineup already. It hasn't been set in stone, but 40% of last year's starting five is gone. Someone (Coby White and Naz Reid, most likely) has to start for the missing LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges.

But beyond that, more tweaks could be coming. Kon Knueppel and Brandon Miller are totally safe, but Moussa Diabaté is not. Some projections, including the ESPN depth chart, have Diabaté heading to the bench.

He moves there in favor of top rookie selection Hannes Steinbach. The Hornets have a tough decision to make between the two. Who should start? Here are some factors to consider for each player:

Hannes Steinbach

Great overall rebounder
Strong scorer
Much bigger and stronger (38 extra pounds, and one inch more, depending on where the info is listed)
Higher capacity to shoot the ball
Totally unproven at the NBA level
Not a top defensive big

Moussa Diabaté

Elite offensive rebounder
Endless motor
Proven commodity at the NBA level
Undersized
Provides zero shooting
Elite on/off splits with Hornets
Solid defender despite size deficiency

It's hard to go wrong either way, but the Hornets need to make the right decision. Diabaté has ascended and earned his spot as a starter, but he has some deficiencies that hurt the Hornets in the Play-In, most notably size and physicality.

The fourteenth pick in the 2026 NBA draft, Washington forward Hannes Steinbach | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Steinbach is technically taller, and he weighs more. But Diabaté does all the little things that helped make Charles Lee's offense truly hum. He was an elite glue guy, and the metrics back up that the Hornets were significantly better when he stepped on the court.

The unfortunate problem is that they both can't start. Sure, they can both feature in big lineups, but they can't both be in the main five-man unit. There's not enough differentiation (since Steinbach doesn't stretch the floor just yet), and Naz Reid is almost assured to start since he is big and can shoot.

So, which one should the Hornets go with? Ultimately, it comes down to this: Diabaté is a proven commodity and can function alongside Reid, who can stretch the floor. Steinbach is an exciting player who might be better, but we don't know that yet.

There may be some growing pains with it, but I believe they should start Diabaté. If and when it becomes clear that Steinbach is an NBA-level starter and an improvement, then he should start.

But until the Hornets get some concrete data on how he fares at this level and how he fits with the other pieces, they have to go with the proven commodity.

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