Hannes Steinbach Might Be The Hornets’ Next Surprise Starter

Training camp is officially here for the Charlotte Hornets, and it’s an important one. Heading into his third season, head coach Charles Lee has to formulate a plan to win without his star guard, LaMelo Ball, for the first time in his career. One of the players who will play a vital role in that plan is rookie Hannes Steinbach, who has a good shot at starting this year.

As a 2026 NBA Draft lottery pick, Steinbach joins Charlotte with high expectations. The last time the Hornets truly had a reliable, high-impact center was arguably in the mid-2010s with Dwight Howard and Al Jefferson. Both were short-lived, so finding a long-term solution at the center position is paramount.

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Moussa Diabate performed his job admirably last season, but the Hornets’ front office still isn’t satisfied at the position. They drafted Steinbach and have been linked to Domantas Sabonis numerous times.

While Diabate still has room to develop his game, keeping your dinner plate full with high-upside bigs on the roster is a good idea.

It wouldn’t be unprecedented for the Hornets to start a rookie at center. Ryan Kalkbrenner, a second-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, started early in the season last year.

As a freshman, Steinbach led the entire NCAA in rebounds per game (11.8). If you take Diabate off the floor for Steinbach, the Hornets aren’t losing elite rebounding ability.

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Perhaps what they really gain is the ability to run a five-out offense — where all five players are spread out along the three-point line. The floor spacing will help open the paint up and create mismatches.

Steinbach was a low-volume three-point shooter in college, but the threat was there. He shot 34 percent from beyond the arc, which could be enough for defenses to have to respect.

And once that opposing big realizes that they cannot play drop coverage the entire night against Steinbach, that’s where his crafty low-post scoring is unlocked.