Summer League is not the regular season — everyone knows that. But Hannes Steinbach‘s Summer League performances answered one of Charlotte’s biggest offseason questions. The Hornets traded LaMelo Ball, added Naz Reid and entered the offseason with legitimate questions about how their new-look frontcourt would fit together. Four games later, Steinbach has done more than pass the first test. He has given Charles Lee something every rebuilding team desperately needs: certainty.
Steinbach saved his best basketball for the final two outings. He posted 27 points and 15 rebounds against Milwaukee before following it with 22 points and 11 rebounds against Sacramento, shooting a combined 20-for-32 across those performances.
What Hannes Steinbach Just Proved in Las Vegas — and What It Means for Charlotte’s Season
He Gives Charlotte Something It Has Been Missing
Charlotte’s frontcourt has not lacked effort. Moussa Diabate has become one of the team’s most energetic rebounders, while Ryan Kalkbrenner provides genuine rim protection. What the Hornets have lacked is a physically imposing interior presence capable of matching bigger frontcourts without sacrificing offensive versatility.
Steinbach addresses that need immediately. He led the nation in rebounds at Washington (11.8 per game), and his Summer League performances suggested those instincts translate naturally to the professional game through positioning, anticipation and timing rather than pure athleticism.
Every offensive rebound he claims creates an extra possession. Every defensive rebound he secures finishes one. Those small possessions accumulate over the course of an NBA season.
He Is More Than a Rebounder — and He Knows It
Steinbach has never viewed himself as simply an interior player. “I can do more than rebounding… play aggressive as a big, be a facilitator, be a scorer as well,” he said via X.
Really like this kid! The foursome of him moose naz and Kalk is formidable https://t.co/rk1IGg0nuA
— J. Clarke’s Custom Cards (@Clarkes1_1Cards) July 18, 2026
Summer League backed every word. Against Milwaukee, he scored comfortably from the mid-range, finished out of the short roll, and consistently made intelligent passing reads when defenses collapsed. His offensive skill set looks considerably more complete than many draft evaluations suggested.
That versatility fits exactly what Charles Lee wants from his frontcourt. Charlotte’s offense asks its bigs to set meaningful screens, move without the ball, and make quick decisions once they receive it. Steinbach repeatedly demonstrated all three skills in Las Vegas, giving the Hornets an offensive dimension they lacked a year ago.
How He Changes Charlotte’s Defensive Identity
Steinbach also impressed defensively. His rotations were disciplined, he contested shots without constantly fouling, and he consistently found the correct positioning around the basket.
Combined with Diabate’s activity and Reid’s versatility, Charlotte suddenly has multiple frontcourt options capable of playing different defensive styles. None of those players does everything, but together they give Charles Lee far more flexibility than he had a year ago.
The Last Word
Charlotte enters next season surrounded by uncertainty — Coby White stepping into the lead guard role, Brandon Miller returning from shoulder surgery, and multiple rookies learning on the fly. In that environment, Steinbach provides something valuable: size, physicality, dependable rebounding and enough offensive versatility to contribute immediately.
The adjustment he described in another interview—”Yeah, it’s a lot tougher than college. It’s a lot faster, a lot more physical, but I think I’m getting used to it pretty good… happy to adjust to it.” — was honest. His response over four games was even more impressive.
Really like this kid! The foursome of him moose naz and Kalk is formidable https://t.co/rk1IGg0nuA
— J. Clarke’s Custom Cards (@Clarkes1_1Cards) July 18, 2026
Steinbach’s Summer League performances do not prove he is already a finished NBA player. They do, however, suggest Charlotte drafted someone capable of contributing much sooner than many expected. Four games in Las Vegas cannot predict a career, but they can reveal whether a player’s foundation is real. Steinbach’s certainly appears to be.
Photo Credit: Brad Penner, Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
