Ryan Kalkbrenner, Moussa Diabate have unequivocally shut the door on questions about Charlotte's front line

It didn't take long for the Charlotte Hornets' biggest question marks to redefine themselves as emphatic exclamation points.

The chatter reverberating about Charlotte's roster construction ahead of opening night centered around the lack of talent at the center position. The trio of Ryan Kalkbrenner, Moussa Diabate, and Mason Plumlee was panned by analysts and talking heads alike, being branded as the weakest link on an otherwise ascending roster.

The regular season has exposed some major flaws in the Hornets' roster, but the center position isn't one of them.

Diabate and Kalkbrenner continue to dominate the interior

Charlotte is dominant on the glass, and their ferocity starts at the five.

Through 11 games, the Hornets boast the league's fifth best offensive rebound rate (32.7%) and its second best defensive rebound rate (75.9%). For a team that has regularly started Miles Bridges as an undersized power forward and backed him up with Tidjane Salaun, Liam McNeeley, and Pat Connaughton, it is noteworthy that they are able to win on the glass while operating at a size deficit most nights.

Neither of the pair have eye-popping rebounding numbers in a traditional counting sense, but Diabate's (7.5 rebounds per game) relentlessness and Kalkbrenner's (6.8 rebounds per game) savvy are key to creating opportunities for themselves and others to win the battle on the boards.

'He (Diabate) commands double teams on the boards, and these other guys are able to fly in and get some extra possessions too,' said Charles Lee following Monday night's 111-100 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.

His energy on both ends of the floor was contagious for the Hornets, operating as the proverbial 'rising tide that lifts all boats' on both ends of the floor by playing with intensity and passion for the entirety of his 23 minute stint.

Kalkbrenner, on the other hand, is 'Steady Eddie,' according to his head coach.

'He stays within himself. He's not trying to do too much. I think that he understands what his role is, where he needs to be on the floor, his screening, his ability to roll. He has great hands, so there's trust throwing it up to lobs, or on the glass he's able to come up with offensive rebounds.'

The center duo has been nothing short of tremendous for the Hornets.

Are they perfect? Far from it. Both Diabate and Kalkbrenner have their weaknesses that can be exploited by the right matchups (Myles Turner game Kalkbrenner fits in the opening minutes of Wednesday night's contest), but they have quickly answered the preseason questions that frankly look silly in hindsight.

On top of their already stellar current production, the return of Grant Williams will add another wrinkle to this center room that will give opposing teams another problem to solve when the Hornets are on the schedule.

Although a playoff berth isn't on the menu for this group of Hornets, the continued growth of this center room, and the rest of Charlotte's talented young core, are worth tuning in for nightly.

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