Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Strong performance in spot start
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Diabate supplied 12 points (6-6 FG), 18 rebounds and one assist over 36 minutes during Tuesday's 126-109 win over the Wizards.
Diabate made his third start of the regular season Tuesday due to the absences of Mason Plumlee (groin) and Ryan Kalkbrenner (elbow). Diabate made the most of his opportunity, finishing with a game-high plus-38 point differential while grabbing a career-high 18 boards en route to his seventh double-double of the season (and first since Nov. 23 against the Hawks). Charlotte's next game is on the road Friday against Orlando, which Diabate would likely start if Kalbrenner is unable to play.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Starting vs. Wizards
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Diabate will be in the starting lineup for Tuesday's game against the Wizards.
Both Mason Plumlee (groin) and Ryan Kalkbrenner (elbow) are out Tuesday. Diabate has averaged 8.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steals in 31.6 minutes per tilt across a pair of starts this season.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Season-high 14 rebounds
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Diabate notched five points (2-6 FG, 1-2 FT), 14 rebounds, two assists and six steals across 28 minutes during Monday's 139-132 loss to the Cavaliers.
Despite coming off the bench, Diabate played the bulk of the center minutes following an injury to Mason Plumlee (groin) after just 10 minutes. Ryan Kalkbrenner was also missing in this one, sidelined due to an elbow injury. Diabate rewarded anyone who streamed him in, recording a career-high six steals while also dominating the glass with a season-high 14 boards. If Kalkbrenner and Plumlee are forced to miss additional time, Diabate would become a must-roster player, albeit as a short-term option only.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Upgraded to available
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Diabate (knee) is available for Friday's game against the Bulls.
The expectation was that Diabate would be able to play through a knee problem, given that the Hornets upgraded him to probable earlier Friday. Over his last 11 games, the 23-year-old center has averaged 7.9 rebounds, 7.0 points, 1.7 assists and 0.7 blocks in 21.8 minutes per contest.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Expected to play
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Diabate (knee) is probable for Friday's game against the Bulls.
Diabate was previously listed as questionable, but it sounds like he's set to return from a one-game absence. He's been battling this knee soreness for a while, so the Hornets may be mindful of his workload behind Ryan Kalkbrenner.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Iffy for Friday
Rotowire
Diabate (knee) is questionable for Friday's game against the Bulls.
Diabate is in danger of missing consecutive contests due to right knee soreness. The Hornets would really need to rely heavily upon Ryan Kalkbrenner at center if Diabate cannot play, and Mason Plumlee would likely remain in the rotation as the backup in this case.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Won't start Friday
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Diabate won't start Friday against the Raptors.
Ryan Kalkbrenner will rejoin the starting five Friday, pushing Diabate back to the second unit. The big man has averaged 7.4 points and 7.6 rebounds in 22.0 minutes per game over his last five outings off the bench.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Drawing start Wednesday
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Diabate is part of the starting lineup for Wednesday's game against the Knicks.
Diabate will supplant Ryan Kalkbrenner in the starting lineup for Wednesday's contest. In his only start this season, Diabate logged 15 points, 11 rebounds and one steal across 43 minutes of an overtime loss to Milwaukee -- a game Kalkbrenner was inactive for.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Only 18 minutes Friday
Rotowire
Diabate produced four points (1-3 FG, 2-2 FT), eight rebounds, two assists and two steals across 18 minutes during Friday's 123-116 victory over the Bulls.
Diabate logged fewer than 20 minutes for the second straight game, something that should be monitored moving forward. Despite coming off the bench behind Ryan Kalkbrenner, Diabate has been able to carve out a meaningful role, averaging 9.4 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.8 combined steals and blocks in 22.5 minutes per game. He is worth rostering in specific situations, those being anywhere typical big-man stats are required.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Splitting time at center
Rotowire
Diabate recorded eight points (3-9 FG, 2-3 FT), 12 rebounds and three assists over 24 minutes during Wednesday's 127-118 loss to the Pacers.
Diabate's 24 minutes of action were one shy of starting center Ryan Kalkbrenner's total against the Pacers. The two finished with similar stats Wednesday night, with both bordering on a double-double. There's no indication that Diabete's role will fade, as he's averaging 10.3 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game across the month of November despite splitting time with Kalkbrenner.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Blocks three shots in loss
Rotowire
Diabate supplied eight points (4-4 FG), three rebounds, one assist, three blocks and two steals over 29 minutes during Monday's 121-111 loss to the Lakers.
Diabate has been one of the main contributors off the bench, leading the second unit in minutes played Monday and making all four of his field-goal attempts. He also had a wonderful defensive performance, logging three blocks and two steals, improving his season averages in those respective categories to 1.5 blocks and 0.6 steals. Diabate will continue to split time at center with rookie Ryan Kalkbrenner, though it appears the latter's role as the starter is firmly established. Kalkbrenner has started every contest, but Diabate was with the first five to begin the second half of Monday's loss, and Kalkbrenner finished with a season-low 19 minutes.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Cruises to second double-double
Rotowire
Diabate logged 17 points (7-9 FG, 3-3 FT), 12 rebounds and one block in 22 minutes during Sunday's 126-103 win over the Jazz.
Diabate paced the Charlotte bench in scoring, doing all of his damage near the cylinder in the second and third quarters. He was also a force on the boards, pulling down six of his 12 boards on the offensive glass on the way to his second double-double of the young season. While Diabate posted a double-double and starting center Ryan Kalkbrenner finished with only two points and four rebounds in 22 minutes, the latter was also a menace defensively, recording four steals and four blocks.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Logs first double-double of season
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Diabate put up 12 points (4-9 FG, 4-5 FT), 10 rebounds, two blocks and an assist across 23 minutes in Sunday's 139-113 win over Washington.
Diabate has been one of the more important players among the bench unit, as he and rookie Ryan Kalkbrenner continue to compete for minutes and potentially the starting job. If Diabate can continue to post performances like he did Sunday, he may be able to crack the starting lineup in the foreseeable future.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Headed to bench
Rotowire
Diabate will head to the bench for Wednesday's season opener against Brooklyn.
Diabate was in and out of the starting unit throughout the preseason, so while he's not getting the start Wednesday, we wouldn't necessarily consider the reserve role a long-term thing. That said, he's not the most attractive target while working with the reserves, so he's a risky guy to deploy in daily fantasy leagues.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Starting Friday
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Diabate will start in Friday's preseason game against New York.
The 23-year-old center will join the first unit in the team's preseason finale, pushing Ryan Kalkbrenner to the bench. Diabate will start alongside Collin Sexton, Kon Knueppel, Liam McNeeley and Miles Bridges.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Monster double-double in preseason
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Diabate generated 18 points (6-7 FG, 6-8 FT), 13 rebounds and one block across 25 minutes of Wednesday's 145-116 preseason win over Memphis.
Diabate led Charlotte's reserves in points and paced the whole team in rebounds. Nine of his 13 boards came on the offensive end. Entering his fourth professional season, Diabate appears to be competing with rookie Ryan Kalkbrenner for the starting center spot.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Heading to bench Saturday
Rotowire
Diabate is not in the starting lineup for Saturday's preseason game against the Mavericks, Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer reports.
Diabate might have the inside track to earn the starting role after the offseason departure of Mark Williams, but he'll have to wait for his chance off the bench in this one. Ryan Kalkbrenner will get the starting nod in this one.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Solid work in starting role
Rotowire
Diabate produced 14 points (5-9 FG, 4-7 FT), seven rebounds, two assists and two steals over 26 minutes during Thursday's 122-116 loss to the Thunder.
Diabate currently has the inside track to the starting center after Mark Williams' departure. Mason Plumlee and 2025 second-round pick Ryan Kalkbrenner will also be on hand to provide support, but the first-unit spot is Diabate's to lose. He played a minimal role with Charlotte last season after spending two seasons with the Clippers, and the team is relying on the former Michigan star's potential to shore up the frontcourt.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Starting Sunday
Rotowire
Diabate will start in Sunday's preseason game against the Thunder, James Plowright of CLTure.org reports.
Diabate will get the starting nod in Charlotte's preseason opener. The big man appeared in 71 regular-season games (eight starts) for the Hornets last season, during which he averaged 5.7 points and 6.2 rebounds across 17.5 minutes per game. He's expected to compete for playing time with Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kalkbrenner this season.
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Hornets' Moussa Diabate: Nears double-double in return
Rotowire
Diabate had 10 points (4-9 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 2-4 FT), nine rebounds, one block and two steals in 25 minutes during Sunday's 93-86 loss to the Celtics.
Diabate returned for Sunday's regular-season finale after missing the last two games due to an illness, providing a spark off the Hornets bench by hauling in a team-high-tying rebound total and finishing one board shy of a double-double. Diabate posted at least 10 points and nine rebounds on eight occasions this season and tallied a double-digit scoring total in 16 outings.
