No one expected this from Moussa Diabatè.

When Charlotte Hornets signed Diabatè to a two-way contract in late July, the NBA world barely batted an eye. An X-post by former ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski was lost among the general chatter on a Monday afternoon, and the days and weeks after the signing didn’t go by without any mention of Diabate when discussing Charlotte’s present or future.

Boy, that was a mistake.

French was outstanding for Charles Lee’s undermanned unit. With three key contributors in the frontcourt, Lee was forced to lean on veteran journeyman Taj Gibson, rookie Tidjane Salaün and Diabatè, who has somehow turned into Gen-Z Dennis Rodman in his short time with the Hornets. His performance on the boards has been key to Charlotte’s ability to compete against top-tier teams like the Pacers and 76ers, holding onto the ball with relentless offensive rebounding skills and stopping enemy attacks on the defensive glass. Diabaté is still playing a limited role, but the stats say Baguette Barkley (does that nickname play?) should see an increase in minutes up front.

The Hornets play better when Diabaté is on the floor. It’s quite simple.

Charlotte rebounds 40.1% of her own attempts when Diabaté is in the lineup, a 99th percentile number in the Association (all stats by Cleaning the glass). His long arms and active motor, a deadly combination for a glass cleaner, make every missed shot by one of his teammates a possible offensive rebound.

Prior to the Hornets’ game against the Pacers, Indiana head coach Rick Carlisle explained Charlotte’s tendency to pull down an inordinate amount of offensive rebounds, crediting the correlation between long, nasty rebounds and the volume of three-point attempts it takes Charlotte tries them on. Diabaté feasted on those long recovery attempts, securing extra possessions for his offense on many occasions. Specifically, in half-court sets, Charlotte records 45.9% of its own fouls, Diabatè handling the paint, the league’s best mark. His offensive rebounding skills are a real game changer.

It’s not just board dominance for Charlotte when she plays Diabatè; they are much better in defense as well. The big man lacks the density of the most vaunted paint guards, but he makes up for it with Gumby-like length and his aforementioned motor. The Hornets allow just 96.5 points per possession and a 45.5 percent effective field goal percentage when the Moose (that might be the nickname) patrols the paint. Charlotte’s defensive efficiency numbers are average overall (16th according to NBA.com), but borderline elite when Diabatè is on fire.

Now, this author wasn’t born yesterday and is well aware that early in the season, with a small data set, it’s difficult to rely on stats alone to fully encompass the impact of players. Moussa Diabatè primarily challenged the opposing bank units; an easier test than 30+ minutes of scrimmage with the vaunted men Charlotte has faced in recent contests like Rudy Gobert and Myles Turner. However, the film matches the statistics for Diabatè.

Watch any of Charlotte’s most recent games against Indiana and Philadelphia and tell me his drive, energy, intensity and instincts don’t come off the screen. Diabatè’s offensive game needs some fine-tuning (the two botched LaMelo Ball turnovers on Friday night didn’t do him any favors), but he’s shown flashes of solid finishing ability and even some game-tying chops that kick the ball to open shooters down the field. short roll.

If nothing else, Diabatè proved to be a valuable commodity that Charlotte signed from the scrap heap in late July. If he never develops more and becomes an energetic presence on the bench who can pull off rebounds in the spot-up service, that would be a win for Jeff Peterson and his scouting staff. On the other hand, if Charles Lee gives Diabatè an extended run with Ball, Brandon Miller and the starting unit, he could turn into a key developmental piece in Charlotte’s often-injured frontcourt. His next chance to impress Lee and his staff comes Tuesday night when Charlotte opens NBA play against the Magic in Orlando.

Hornets 2024 NBA Cup Round tips Tuesday: Analyzing Charlotte’s path to tournament glory this season