When talking about the Charlotte Hornets’ core group, LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and Kon Knueppel are always mentioned. Even Miles Bridges has been brought up as a component of the nucleus. But it’s time now for Moussa Diabate to join the discussions, especially after showing his worth in the Hornets’ dominant home win over the Washington Wizards on Tuesday.
The team was coming off a road loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday, and the lack of energy was evident early in the Wizards tiff.
Setting the tone
Diabate was an exception, though. Despite playing extended minutes against the Cavs because of Ryan Kalkbrenner’s absence and Mason Plumlee sustaining an injury after 10 minutes of action, he was pretty active on the floor versus Washington. He finished the first half with a double-double, recording 10 points and 13 rebounds.
However, it looked like the Hornets were going to fold early on Tuesday, as the opponent took a 65-62 lead entering halftime.
Fortunately, the rest of the squad appeared to have found inspiration from Diabate during the last two periods. Its defensive intensity picked up, holding the Wizards to just 19 points in the fourth. It’s also worth noting that Knueppel found life in the second half, where he drilled all five of his 3-pointers to score 15 of his 19 total points. Ball then took over late, with his seven points in the first minutes of the final frame sparking a 12-4 run to break the game open for Charlotte.
The home team gifted its fans with a 126-109 victory. It got plenty of contributions from the core players, but it was Diabate who secured the MVP of the game honors with his 12 points and 18 boards while recording zero misses and turnovers. He also logged a whopping +38 plus/minus.
Proving his value
There are concerns about how the Hornets could weather the reality of having just one true center on the roster with Kalkbrenner and Plumlee out. However, Diabate has proven capable of holding down the fort. Granted, it came against one of the worst clubs in the league this season. Still, his rebounding, energy, and efficiency were evident, and the front office knows how hard it is to find another big man who can offer what he does.
Perhaps the debate of whether the 23-year-old French hoopster should be a starter has been all but settled. He seems better suited as a reserve and a backup starter.
That does not entail by any means that he is expendable, though. The Hornets should view him as a key part of their future.
Most likely, other teams will come calling before the trade deadline to ask about his availability. Lead executive Jeff Peterson must know better than to entertain those inquiries and instead focus on addressing the other holes on the roster or bringing in more draft capital using other players.