The Charlotte Hornets have selected Hannes Steinbach, big/forward out of Washington with the 14th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

Steinbach has been a popular mock target for the Hornets, and now he’s officially a member of the team. A detailed summary of him as a prospect can be found here.

Steinbach brings a rare combination of elite rebounding and shooting touch. He’s arguably the best rebounder in the class, using his size to carve out space and snaring everything that is even remotely close to his area. Usually players that are bullies on the glass do so with a sort of brute force that doesn’t translate to scoring baskets, but that’s not the case with Steinbach. He’s got tremendous touch around the basket and can use rudimentary post moves to score super efficiently against overmatched opponents. While his outside shot wouldn’t be something I’d call a strength yet, he’s at least willing to take them and made a decent enough percentage from both the 3-point and free throw lines to stoke optimism that it’ll be an element of his game in time.

Steinbach is a bit of a tweener defensively, not offering the traditional rim protection you’d want from a center while also not possessing the fluidity of fours required to guard on the perimeter. He’s not terrible in either ara, but he can leave you a bit wanting on the defensive end.

Steinbach is an interesting possible long term pairing alongside Moussa Diabate. The two are a sort of yin and yang, with Moussa providing all sorts of defensive versatility while limited on the offensive end. Steinabch brings the opposite, providing offensive touch while needing some help defensively. Both are tremendous rebounders, which could make for a very formidable front court to pair with the offensive weapons the Hornets have at guard and on the wings.