Charlotte Hornets 'Hidden Gem' Shouldn't Be Hidden Anymore

The Charlotte Hornets have a lot of players who might be better than the casual NBA fan thinks. LaMelo Ball's averages are down, but his offensive rating, net rating, and on/off splits are way up.

Grant Williams is not a household name, but he's been phenomenal this year since returning from injury. Josh Green has been a fantastic bench player. Ryan Kalkbrenner has a 76.1% true shooting mark.

All of these players don't get the credit they deserve, but there's one I didn't mention who embodies that more than the rest: Moussa Diabaté, who just got hailed as Charlotte's "hidden gem" by Bleacher Report insider Greg Swartz.

Moussa Diabaté is the Hornets' hidden gem that shouldn't be hidden

Charlotte Hornets forward Moussa Diabate (14) dunks against the Atlanta Hawks | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and Kon Knueppel rightfully get a lot of attention for the Hornets' turnaround this year, but Moussa Diabaté might be the most important figure to that transformation.

The Hornets are +13.6 when Ball is on the floor, second among players with a 1,000-minute minimum only to Nikola Jokic. Diabaté is fifth at +11, behind those two, Lauri Markkanen, and Victor Wembanyama.

"Moussa Diabaté has become far more famous t hanks to his part in a brawl against the Detroit Pistons. This shouldn't distract you from the fact that he's been a big part of the Charlotte Hornets' return to relevancy long before that," Swartz wrote.

Diabaté was not the starter early on. Ryan Kalkbrenner was, and he was solid. But since taking over, Diabaté has led the Hornets to a 15-7 record, and the starting five is one of the best five-man units in the NBA.

"Diabaté has been a glass-cleaning machine during this stretch, averaging 8.8 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.0 blocks while shooting 66.1 percent overall," Swartz concluded.

Those numbers don't blow anyone away, but Diabaté's presence on the court makes everything better for the Hornets. It's no surprise they lost two tough games to title contenders during his suspension.

Across the board, pretty much everything gets better when he plays. The only things that do not improve for the Hornets when he's on the court are free-throw rate and opponent free-throw rate.

He's been a miraculous find for the Hornets, and he earned his contract last year. Now, he's highly likely to get a pretty substantial extension one day despite currently being a player most casual NBA fans may not be fully aware of.