Charlotte Hornets centre Moussa Diabaté has been ranked the 27th-best centre in the NBA by HoopsHype ahead of the 2026-27 season. The French-born big man played 73 games last season, averaging 7.9 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists while shooting 63.1 percent from the field and 65.9 percent from the free-throw line.
Diabaté won the 2025-26 Kia NBA Hustle award, which recognises effort plays tracked by the league since the 2016 playoffs, including deflections, loose balls recovered, charges drawn, screen assists, contested shots and box outs. He also had his 2026-27 contract fully guaranteed.
His promotion to the starting lineup on 23 December coincided with Charlotte's turnaround. After starting 9-20, the Hornets went 35-18 from that date, the sixth-best winning percentage in the league over that span. Diabaté ranked fourth in screen assists per minute, led the league in offensive box outs per minute and tied for first per game, and finished fifth in offensive rebounds per game (3.7).
Charlotte opens the 2026-27 season on the road against the Brooklyn Nets, with the home opener against the Atlanta Hawks.
