Moussa Diabate is making life difficult for Charles Lee, but in a good way

The rookie head coach states that he will continue to find ways for the young center to get minutes.

Mar 21, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Moussa Diabate (14) dunks against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

One word: Electric.

That's how Moussa Diabate should be described as a player. The 23-year-old Charlotte Hornets' center has been nothing short of electric for the Bugs this season, leading the team to make the difficult decision of moving on from starter Mark Williams in favor of the young French center.

Of course, the move did not work out, and after a separate deal for Phoenix's Jusuf Nurkic, Diabate started to become the third center in the rotation. His minutes became spotty, but when the former Wolverine played, his confidence was higher than ever, especially after earning a new three-year contract from the Hornets.

It's difficult to find minutes for a young center when you have two established guys in front of him, especially when that young center cannot shoot the ball. It has not discouraged first-year head coach Charles Lee from finding minutes for Diabate.

"He impacts the game so positively with his energy, his versatility defensively... and offensively, all the offensive rebounds, and I think that his offensive game continues to grow."

The Hornets have been working on Diabate's offensive game, although not a lot, Moussa has started to shoot the three ball a little more to develop into the power forward role. He has yet to make a three this season, and there is a good chance it may not happen at all, but a strong offseason could see the 23-year-old in a true power forward role with a three-ball.

Moussa Diabate last night:

9 PTS
15 REB (7 OREB)
6 AST

Insane motor night-to-night. The passing popped last night. Excited to watch his development post trade deadline. Will likely get converted to a standard contract soon. pic.twitter.com/Xn9DKF3Ih1

— Israel (@iohandles) February 8, 2025

Diabate is undersized for the center position, sitting 6'9" and weighing 210 pounds. It has not discouraged him, as he continues to go at guys like Victor Wembanyama at the rim on a nightly basis. So, imagine if he were to develop a three-ball on top of his already dominant inside game...

"You want to find minutes for guys like that."

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