The Charlotte Hornets have question marks at the future of the 4 spot. Both Miles Bridges and Grant Williams are free agents after next season, and Tidjane Salaun is far from a safe bet to man that position long term. That makes power forward a popular position to mock to the Hornets, and there are a number of players at that position that should be available at one of the Hornets’ two picks. We’ve talked about Yaxel Lendeborg and Karim Lopez already. Today’s subject is Hannes Steinbach, a big forward that hails from Germany and played collegiately at Washington.
Measurements
Height: 6’10.25″
Weight: 248 pounds
Wingspan: 7’2.5″
Standing reach: 9’0″
Standing vertical: 30″
Maximum vertical: 35.5″
Strengths
Rebounding, scoring potential
Steinbach is probably the best rebounder in the draft. He averaged 12.2 rebounds per 36 minutes as a freshman, and dominated on both ends of the floor. He operates as though every missed shot is his to rebound and has no fear fighting through crowds of opponents to snag boards. He has tremendous hands, tallying a number of one handed rebounds in traffic and vacuuming up misses outside of his area. His hands seem like they magnetically attract the ball. The Hornets clearly value offensive rebounding, and Steinbach has that trait in droves. A pairing of he and Moussa Diabate would be cause nightmares for opponents simply trying to end possessions with a defensive rebound.
Most of Steinbach’s scoring comes around the basket, where he pairs his tremendous strength and bulk with a deft touch. The hands that help him be such a dominant rebounder also serve him well on dump offs and as a roller. He’s able quickly transition from catch to release around the basket. Despite being a freshman, he overwhelmed opposition with his strength, and he looks impossible to move once he anchors himself in the post. While he won’t get a lot of straight post up opportunities in the NBA, it should be a valuable tool to exploit switches and mismatches, and the touch he displays in the post should translate to quicker actions off of dump offs, etc. He also had a pretty good sampling of drives from the perimeter and in transition. He tends to play below the rim, but he has the length and the touch to get away with it.
Question Marks
Positional tweener, rim protection, outside shooting consistency
A lot of the question marks surrounding Steinbach center around what position he plays at the next level. He’s borderline big enough to be a center, but he isn’t the most prolific rim protector or vertical spacer. He’s a decent help side defender, but he isn’t going to be a major deterrent for opponent drives. If he plays the four, that becomes less of an issue. However, there are questions if he’ll have the foot speed to guard some of the more athletic fours in the NBA. It’s hard to nail down what his best role would be on the defensive side of the floor.
On the other end of the floor, his outside shooting is going to be a major swing skill that will determine what kind of role he plays in the NBA. He was a somewhat willing 3-point shooter, but he shot them at a pretty low volume. The percentage was okay for a big at 34%, but it’s not something that’s going to threaten opposing defenses. His release is a little catapult-y and deliberate, and he can get sped up by closeouts. An NBA team will probably want to try to smooth out his release to make it a little quicker and a little less affected by defenses. If he plays the five, the shooting is probably a plus. If he plays the four, it becomes a question mark.
Overview
There’s a lot to like about Steinbach’s game, especially with how it could fit within the Hornets’ system. He’s a prolific rebounder, and that would add to one of the Hornets’ biggest weapons last season. He has enough connective skills to fit in the free flowing offense, and his defense is passable. The shooting could use some work, but he at least has a little bit of a foundation to work with, and that becomes less of an issue if he spends some time at the five.
It really just comes down to what position Steinbach plays. If he plays the five, you’re likely sacrificing a little bit of rim protection and vertical pop in the pick-and-roll game. If he plays the four, you’re likely sacrificing a little pit of floor spacing and switchability. But rebounding almost always translates to the NBA. If the Hornets can get him on the floor, that skill will shine. And there’s enough scoring potential and overall strength to potentially make Steinbach a good all around player.
