Drafted No. 34 overall by the Charlotte Hornets just one week ago, Ryan Kalkbrenner has an opportunity that few second-round draft picks garner in their rookie season in the NBA.
Stepping into a frontcourt that features just Moussa Diabate and Mason Plumlee at the center position, Kalkbrenner, a 7-foot-1 rim-protecting defensive anchor, has a chance to claw into Charles Lee’s rotation — if he does the dirty work, starting in Las Vegas next week in the NBA 2K26 Summer League.
Hornets assistant and 2026 Summer League head coach Chris Jent wants Kalkbrenner to be himself on the offensive end of the court, but to be a menace on defense.
“He’s got to contest shots, block some shots, rebound the ball, run the floor, and on the offensive end, be himself,” Jent said. “If he’s open, shoot the ball. The center has to do the dirty work, and he’s expected to do that.”
Defensive anchor
Following a five-year college career, featuring four Big East Defensive Player of the Year awards, a career-best 3.1 blocks per game in 2024, and 19.2 points per game in his final season at Creighton, Kalkbrenner thinks his game will translate to the NBA — especially anchoring the defense.
“It’s a big opportunity for me, especially as a guy who played in college for five years, I feel ready to come in and make an impact right away,” Kalkbrenner told The Observer. “That’s not to say I know everything, so coming into these practices and getting acclimated here is super important. I’ve just got to take advantage of it.
“I know where my greatest strengths lie in shot blocking and finishing around the rim. It’s trying to get my foot in the door with those two things, and expanding from there,” Kalkbrenner continued. “Regardless of my opportunities, I’m always going to be a good shot blocker and finish around the rim, so I’ll take advantage of those things and show my worth.”
Early opportunities
With the president of basketball operations, Jeff Peterson, dealing centers Mark Williams and Jusuf Nurkic at the end of June, the opportunity to crack the rotation is there for the taking for Kalkbrenner.
Diabate is listed at 6-foot-9, and Plumlee at 6-foot-10. Kalkbrenner is the only true 7-footer on the roster, and Charlotte’s first-round pick (No. 27 overall) Liam McNeeley knows from experience in his lone season in the Big East.
“I’m glad to be on Ryan’s team this time. He was really difficult to play against. He’s like a 7-foot-5 wall in front of the basket,” McNeeley told the media at the introductory news conference. “He’s one of the best defensive bigs in the Big East ever, in my opinion. Great player.”
Opposing teams attempted 4.9% fewer shots at the rim against the Blue Jays with Kalkbrenner on the court and converted 5.3% fewer with the 7-footer roaming the paint, according to Databallr. When opponents attacked the lane, Kalkbrenner blocked 399 shots in his five seasons at Creighton, averaging 2.4 blocks per game. And despite being the Blue Jays’ last line of defense, Kalkbrenner averaged just 1.6 fouls per game, averaging more fouls than blocks in just one season — his freshman year.
Scoring nearly 20 points per game as a graduate student, Kalkbrenner can serve as a lob threat paired with LaMelo Ball, one of the best lob passers in the NBA. But his ability to shoot from three-point range (34.4% in 2024-25), operate in the short roll, and even serve as an offensive hub excites Lee.
“It’ll be fun to play with three different pitches in your arsenal. I think he also has a great opportunity to learn from two other guys,” Lee said of Kalkbrenner. “His instincts and mindset will help me explore different options. Learning him and watching him in Summer League will help me figure out how I can best use him defensively.
“Offensively, I think he poses a problem down there in the paint. More teams are switching now, so the ability to throw him down on the post. Can we play through the post, do some post splits and get these guys coming off and shooting?” Lee continued. “We’ve all talked about these guys’ versatile skill sets, and Ryan has the same thing.”
The new guys
The NBA 2K26 Summer League tips off July 10, and much like last season, Charlotte expects the team’s vets to join in Vegas.
“We’ll have the crew out there. Like I said, we’ve been in the gym. Everyone has been working. (Since) early May, our whole team was around,” Jent said. “That’s something we’re about, something coach Lee preaches, and something we love.”
While Kalkbrenner has a few familiar faces on the roster in former teammate Jamiya Neal and Big East foes McNeeley and Josh Oduro, he’s excited about the culture building in Charlotte’s locker room.
“It’ll be a lot of fun, especially being a new guy on the team. Spending time with them and getting to know them will be big time,” said Kalkbrenner. “It’s awesome when you come into the NBA and you’ve got a good locker room culture. Everyone is just hanging out, and at the end of the day this is a job, so you don’t get that everywhere. I feel really lucky to be in a locker room like that.”