The Charlotte Hornets have a legitimate center competition

The Charlotte Hornets came into the 2025-26 NBA season without a clear starting center. Moussa Diabate was undersized and brought little to the table offensively. Ryan Kalkbrenner was a rookie second-round pick. Mason Plumlee was an inconsequential veteran mentor.

Fast forward to the first day of 2026, and it appears that the Hornets still don't have a clear starting center, but for a good reason this time. When healthy and in the lineup, Kalkbrenner looked like he could be an NBA center.

With him out, though, Diabate has stepped up, and the team is generally better by a fair margin when he's on the floor. So what happens when they're both healthy?

🎙️ Charles Lee on starting Moussa Diabate even with a healthy Ryan Kalkbrenner: "I will always have an open mind."

"We gotta do what's best for the team and what's gonna put us in the best position to be successful on that game day. So yes, there could be some starts..." pic.twitter.com/6jbSLQYufs
— r/CharlotteHornets (@HornetsReddit) December 31, 2025

Charles Lee admitted he will "always have an open mind" as to who's going to start at the center spot. Either way, both will play a similar amount of minutes, but one has to start.

"We gotta do what's best for the team and what's gonna put us in the best position to be successful on that game day. So yes, there could be some starts, there could be some 30-minute [games] for him, there could be anything," the head coach revealed.

With Diabate on the court, the Hornets are 7.1 points better, per Cleaning the Glass. That translates to 17 expected wins. Surprisingly, the Hornets are better with Kalkbrenner off the floor, but his numbers are solid.

Dec 20, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Charlotte Hornets center Ryan Kalkbrenner (11) is defended by Detroit Pistons center Jalen Duren (0) in the second half at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Kalkbrenner leads the team in effective field goal percentage and true shooting. He is second in PACE and has a higher player impact estimate than Brandon Miller, Sion James, and some other Hornets.

The five-man starting unit with Kalkbrenner (so LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges, Kon Knueppel, and Brandon Miller) has a positive 4.4 net rating. The offensive rating is 121.9, and the defensive rating is 117.5. Those are good numbers.

When you sub Diabate in for Kalkbrenner, those numbers get even better. The offensive rating skyrockets to 136.5, and the defensive rating drops to 103.9. That's an astonishing 32.6 net rating. That's one of the best lineups the Hornets have available to them.

Kalkbrenner has struggled some lately, so his numbers have definitely dipped. And when looking at all the advanced stats, Diabate seems to be the right choice for the starting center. In time, though, Kalkbrenner will get better with experience.

For now, it looks like Diabate should be the starter, but it's good that this is even a debate or conversation. For a long time, the Hornets struggled to find even one center.

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