Ryan Kalkbrenner grabbed 15 rebounds and blocked three shots to power the Charlotte Hornets past the Cleveland Cavaliers 124-112.
The second-year center filled the box score over 34 minutes with eight points, one steal, and three assists on 57.1% shooting from the field, Knup reported. Kalkbrenner pulled down 10 offensive boards among his career-high 15 total rebounds, significantly topping his 5.4 season average. Charlotte head coach Charles Lee called the performance “huge” when asked about the center’s two-way impact. Lee said Kalkbrenner’s defensive activity helps the team control the paint and provides added confidence.
The defensive anchor rejected a shot by Evan Mobley in the second quarter to trigger a fast break. Naz Reid forced Mobley away from the corner three-point line, allowing Kalkbrenner to swat the attempt at the rim.
Grayson Allen missed a corner three on the ensuing possession before Kalkbrenner ripped an offensive rebound away from James Harden.
Lee stated that Kalkbrenner stepped up in the absence of Moussa Diabate, who missed the game with quad tendinopathy.
“Ryan was like ‘I’m going to be the seven-foot Moussa tonight,’ and did that in a major way,” Lee said according to si.com.
Charlotte outscores opponents by 35.6 points per 100 possessions when Kalkbrenner is on the floor. Kalkbrenner holds the sixth-highest Estimated Plus-Minus on the Hornets roster. He trails Kon Knueppel, Coby White, Brandon Miller, Moussa Diabate, and Grayson Allen in that specific metric. The former Creighton player is shooting 4-7 from the field through regular minutes. His recent output answers questions regarding his ability to withstand physical play under the basket.
Ryan Kalkbrenner was awesome. The Hornets issues so far this season were not prevalent at all on Monday night, and they were able to snap a six-game skid against the Cavaliers: https://t.co/p2yw1Mo8s9
How many minutes did Ryan Kalkbrenner play against Cleveland?
Kalkbrenner logged 34 minutes of playing time in the victory over the Cavaliers.
What were Kalkbrenner’s shooting percentages and scoring totals?
He scored 8 points by converting four of his seven field-goal attempts, finishing the night shooting 57.1% from the floor.
Who did Kalkbrenner replace in the starting rotation for offensive rebounding duties?
He stepped into the primary paint-scoring and rebounding role usually filled by Moussa Diabate, who sat out due to quad tendinopathy.
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