Everything Changed for the Hornets When Moussa Diabaté Entered the Starting Lineup

Coming into Thursday night's game between Charlotte and New York, I had my eyes on the matchup in the paint - Moussa Diabaté vs. Karl-Anthony Towns, specifically to see if the Hornets would be able to put up a fight there or if it would be something the Knicks could exploit as they did in their first two matchups earlier this season.

The Knicks big man is one of the best in the league, cashing in on second-chance opportunities, many of which he creates for himself via the glass. Diabaté is an even better rebounder of the basketball on the offensive end, averaging 3.8 OREBS per game, but often collects the rebound to kick it out to a shooter on the perimeter.

KAT towers over Diabaté, but his athleticism and tenacity on the defensive end allowed him to win that battle in the first half. Charlotte's core trio was on fire shooting the ball, so Moussa didn't seek to score it. Meanwhile, Towns was held to just two points on 1/3 shooting through the first 24 minutes. His struggles continued in the second half, finishing the night with just 13 points on just eight shots. Diabaté wasn't even allowing him to get post position, forcing him to give up the ball more often than not.

Moussa's defense wasn't just elite on Towns, but also when he was forced to defend a guard in pick-and-roll actions, or anytime he was in an iso at the top of the key or in the middle of the floor. His footwork was tremendous, and he never got beat off the dribble.

The best way to describe his play is that he had the demeanor of a junkyard dog. He did all of the little things right, and his balance while fighting for rebounds with multiple Knicks around him was mind-boggling. There was no knocking him off course.

Diabaté finished with two offensive rebounds while KAT had zero. Limiting New York to one-and-dones for the majority of the night was a big reason why the Hornets were able to not only win, but do so fairly comfortably. In terms of second-chance points, the Hornets had a 16-9 advantage.

In his postgame press conference, Brandon Miller talked about the impact that Moussa has on this team.

“I haven’t seen a guy like that. Always going 110% on both sides of the ball. Always crashing the offensive glass. I think one thing he does great is guard smaller point guards. I think when we go to that lineup with Moussa, we can switch one through five, which gives us an advantage. Having a guy out there like that makes the game easier for us.”

Guys like Miller, LaMelo Ball, and Kon Knueppel get a lot of the national media's attention, and rightfully so, but an argument can be made that everything changed when Diabaté entered the starting lineup.

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