{"id":205449,"date":"2026-07-18T05:36:01","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T09:36:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=205449"},"modified":"2026-07-18T05:36:01","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T09:36:01","slug":"hannes-steinbach-sl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/07\/18\/hannes-steinbach-sl\/","title":{"rendered":"Hannes Steinbach’s Summer League: What Charlotte Learned in Las Vegas"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summer League is not the regular season \u2014 everyone knows that. But Hannes Steinbach<\/a>‘s Summer League performances answered one of Charlotte’s biggest offseason questions. The Hornets traded<\/a> LaMelo Ball<\/a>, added Naz Reid<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

What Hannes Steinbach Just Proved in Las Vegas \u2014 and What It Means for Charlotte’s Season<\/h2>\n

He Gives Charlotte Something It Has Been Missing<\/h3>\n

Charlotte’s frontcourt has not lacked effort. Moussa Diabate<\/a> has become one of the team’s most energetic rebounders, while Ryan Kalkbrenner<\/a> provides genuine rim protection. What the Hornets have lacked is a physically imposing interior presence capable of matching bigger frontcourts without sacrificing offensive versatility.<\/span><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

He Is More Than a Rebounder \u2014 and He Knows It<\/h3>\n

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,<\/em>” he said via X.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Really like this kid! The foursome of him moose naz and Kalk is formidable https:\/\/t.co\/rk1IGg0nuA<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 J. Clarke\u2019s Custom Cards (@Clarkes1_1Cards) July 18, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n