Ryan Kalkbrenner registered another efficient outing on Thursday, continuing a historic start to his rookie campaign on the offensive end of the court with the Charlotte Hornets.
Kalkbrenner produced 17 points, seven rebounds, three blocked shots and one steal in a 123-107 loss to the Orlando Magic at the Spectrum Center. He finished by shooting 8-of-9 from the field in 31 minutes as the Hornets dropped to 2-3.
The 7-footer has started each game and provided the team with strong production in that role, thanks to his post scoring and rebounding ability. He wasn’t necessarily pleased with his performance on Thursday, though, since the team didn’t emerge victorious.
“I think I did OK,” Kalkbrenner said. “I don’t like losing. I want to win, and anytime we don’t walk away with the win, I can’t say I did a good enough job. So, (an) OK job; a lot of room to grow. We will be better next time.”
Kalkbrenner is now averaging 11 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and one steal on 90% shooting from the field (27-of-30). He has the best field-goal percentage by any player through the first five games of a career since the NBA-ABA merger, according to Stathead.
The 34th pick emerged as one of the top big men in the draft after establishing himself as a four-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year at Creighton. He left as one of the most accomplished players in program history, ranking second in points, rebounds and blocks.
Kalkbrenner is a part of a crowded draft class for the Hornets, joining Kon Knueppel, Liam McNeeley and Sion James. He, along with the rest of the group, is off to a productive start and gaining valuable experience in the process.
“I love it for these young guys to be able to get different experiences,” Hornets coach Charles Lee said. “It is going to help them down the road. You’re not going to see the same matchup or the same style of play every night, so it is going to ultimately benefit them. I think they’ve stepped up to the challenge in a really good way, and you see them competing.”