How the Charlotte Hornets Should Maximize Hannes Steinbach

The Charlotte Hornets' newest lottery pick, Hannes Steinbach, has already generated plenty of excitement among the fan base heading into his first professional season after an excellent four-game Summer League showcase.

Steinbach looked every bit like one of the best rebounding prospects the NBA draft has had to offer over the past few years. He also flashed efficient interior scoring, impressive fluidity, and straight-line speed for his size, along with the connective passing that makes his offensive skill set so intriguing and fun to watch.

Those traits should translate to Charlotte's rotation as soon as the regular season begins.

But figuring out exactly where Steinbach fits positionally is a bit trickier given his defensive limitations at the moment and the Hornets' current frontcourt hierarchy. So what is the best way for Charlotte to utilize Steinbach during his rookie season, and what role puts him in the best position to succeed?

Keeping Steinbach at the four

Feb 7, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Washington Huskies forward Hannes Steinbach (6) reacts after a foul call on UCLA Bruins forward Xavier Booker (1) in the first half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

During Steinbach's incredibly productive freshman season at Washington, he played the majority of his minutes at power forward, and in my opinion, that is where he is most viable defensively entering his first season with Charlotte. While Steinbach logged minutes at both the four and the five during Summer League, it became pretty clear where he is best suited at this stage of his development.

Steinbach just is not a great vertical athlete, and he was attacked at times in drop coverage by opposing guards and rolling bigs when playing the five. There were also moments where he got caught out of position, either sitting too high or too low while backpedaling in the drop, or simply being a step late rotating into the play.

Right now, his pick-and-roll defense is not good enough for him to anchor a quality NBA defense or consistently play center for Head Coach Charles Lee.

Steinbach was never much of a rim protector at Washington, and that is very likely to remain the case in the near future. This is something Steinbach can certainly improve over time, but asking him to be the last line of defense in an NBA rotation right now would be detrimental to his long-term development.

Where Hannes wins on a basketball court is with his long arms and his positioning on both ends. That is what makes him such an effective rebounder, using his 9-foot standing reach to consistently track and secure the ball off the rim.

On the defensive end, it is much of the same. He has active hands and does a nice job of being a deterrent on the perimeter using his 7-foot-2 wingspan. Pair that with his lateral foot speed, and that is where he can be impactful defensively.

Cracking the rotation

With the current logjam at power forward in Charlotte, Steinbach would likely take some of the reserve minutes currently occupied by Grant Williams, who was a really positive contributor in his 36 games with the Hornets this past season. Williams shot 42% on corner threes and 38% on non-corner threes, making him a valuable floor spacer and veteran leader on the court.

Lee will likely start Naz Reid at the lead four spot, who, like Steinbach, is a highly skilled offensive player but also ideally fits alongside a true defensive-playmaking center to form an effective defensive frontcourt.

Dorian Finney-Smith is another player in the mix for those backup power forward minutes. He could very well be waived or traded before the regular season, but if he arrives at training camp looking like the quality role player he has been for most of his NBA career, he will certainly be part of that conversation.

Then there is Tidjane Salaün, who, at least right now, does not appear to be in line for rotation minutes if Charlotte's priority is winning games.

Regardless of how that all shakes out, Steinbach should be very dynamic offensively almost immediately once the regular season begins. Hannes understands angles extremely well, is a great screener, and should thrive in Charlotte's up-tempo playing style and emphasis on ball movement.

Despite posting a negative assist-to-turnover ratio in college, his passing and playmaking can be a real asset regardless of who he is paired with offensively.

Whether he is operating out of the short roll or being used as a dribble handoff hub, his versatility on offense should earn him plenty of minutes for Charlotte this upcoming season.

The Hornets' primary objective during this transitional year will have to be internal development. Seeing Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel and Steinbach continue to ascend will be critical for a Charlotte team now searching for its next franchise player while hoping to make a playoff run sooner rather than later.

But all of that starts with understanding how to maximize the most important players on the roster and build around them properly. That is how successful NBA franchises sustain winning over the long term. For Charlotte to join them, it will be imperative to use Steinbach the right way.

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