Analyzing Moussa Diabaté's breakout season with the Charlotte Hornets

Moussa Diabaté's emergence from two-way dice roll to integral part of the Charlotte Hornets' primary center rotation is one for the script writers at Walt Disney to take a look at. The energetic big man's NBA career was on life support after he was waived by the Los Angeles Clippers last summer, but Charles Lee threw him a life jacket and Diabaté never looked back.

"He (Charles Lee) gave me the opportunity to play. I think that’s the best way to get better – get an opportunity to play and trust me. I’m forever grateful for what he’s done for me by giving me an opportunity, especially as a young coach, first year, I’m coming off a two-way and for him to just give me a chance, it just means a lot.”

In an otherwise dull season in the Queen City, Diabaté was a rare bright spot. Let's break down his 2024-25 campaign.

Positive takeaways from Moussa's first season in Charlotte

Everything Diabaté brings to the floor begins with his non-stop motor. The undersized center doesn't boast the physical advantages that many of his front court contemporaries do, but they'll never outwork Charlotte's burgeoning big man on the glass.

Diabate is relentless when chasing down rebounds. Combine that nose for the ball with a passion for contact and an innate sense of positioning on the glass and you have one of the league's most dominant offensive rebounders. According to Cleaning the Glass, Diabate hauled in 14.5% of Charlotte's misses when he was on the floor, a 94th percentile mark in basketball.

His defensive rebounding numbers aren't nearly as gaudy (20.3% of misses, 69th percentile), but Moussa made an impact on that end of the floor outside of pulling down boards.

Teams struggled in the restricted area when Diabaté roamed the paint. Opposing offenses shot 2% worse at the rim against the Hornets when Moussa was on the floor and they turned the ball over on 4% more of their possessions. His energy as a defender was invaluable, especially when considering the team context (re: poor guard defenders) around him.

His impact slipped as the season went on, but Diabaté finished 2024-25 with an on/off net rating of +5.3, the third best number on the Hornets for players who broke the 1000 minute threshold. There isn't a singular catch-all statistic that can wholly define Diabaté's overall impact, but anybody who tuned into Charlotte Hornets basketball knows that the when the Moose got loose, good things happened.

Speaking of the Moose getting loose, enjoy this compilation of Diabaté dunks: his most consistent weapon on offense.

Moussa Diabaté 🔨🔨🔨

A career-defining season for the big man who was out of a job six months ago.

Had some style to match the substance as well. pic.twitter.com/xUCfA99lFX
— Matt Alquiza (@malquiza8) April 15, 2025

Areas of improvement for Diabaté

Moussa Diabté's ability to reach his ceiling as an NBA player hinges on him developing on the offensive end. Beyond hammer dunks and a basic package of finishes around the rim, the Frenchman doesn't offer much outside of the paint on offense.

Dating back to the preseason Diabaté flashed a modicum of short roll passing talent, but it never developed into more than just the occasional flash.

I don't project Moussa to ever extend his range out past 10 feet although that is a common sentiment amoung fans when it comes to next steps for him. He only attempted five shots considered "long mid-range" or three pointers in 2024-25, and league average shooting doesn't blossom out of thin air, especially not for guys who shoot 56.2% at the free throw line.

The biggest step he can make next season is with his hands. The clips above are all impressive finishes, but Diabaté's inability to haul in slick passes from his playmaking teammates left points on the table all season long.

Overall thoughts on Moussa Diabaté's 2024-25 season

It's impossible to call it anything but a rousing success.

Charles Lee and Jeff Peterson spoke about player development at length during Monday's exit interviews, and no player on the Hornets developed as rapidly as Diabaté in 2024-25. After totaling 32 G-League appearances in his first two seasons as a professional, Moussa logged three total in 2024-25 while featuring in 71 games for the senior club.

Charlotte inked Diabate to a standard three-year NBA contract in February, so the big man isn't going anywhere, anytime soon. Lee and Peterson both have some work to do to parse out Charlotte's center rotation in 2025-26 and beyond with all three of Diabaté, Mark Williams, and Jusuf Nurkic under contract, but one thing is clear: Moussa Diabaté has earned his share of minutes and the ascending glass-cleaner isn't going anywhere.

- MORE STORIES FROM HORNETS ON SI -

Seth Curry hopes to remain with hometown team next season

Taj Gibson gives high praise of Miles Bridges, calls the Hornets forward an All-Star

Charles Lee reveals what LaMelo Ball must do this offseason

Charles Lee optimistic after first season as head coach of the Charlotte Hornets