Kalkbrenner (personal) is available for Sunday's game against Utah.
Kalkbrenner will shed his questionable tag due to personal reasons and play in the second leg of the team's back-to-back set. The rookie big man has been extremely efficient through six regular-season games, averaging 10.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.8 blocks while shooting 85.3 percent from the field in 27.8 minutes per contest.
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Hornets' Ryan Kalkbrenner: Questionable for Sunday
Rotowire
Kalkbrenner (personal) is questionable for Sunday's game against the Jazz.
Kalkbrenner was a late addition to Sunday's injury report due to personal reasons. The rookie has started all six games so far this season, and if he's unavailable, Moussa Diabate and Mason Plumlee will handle the bulk of the center minutes.
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Hornets' Ryan Kalkbrenner: Scores 17 points with three swats
Rotowire
Kalkbrenner notched 17 points (8-9 FG, 1-1 FT), seven rebounds, three blocks and one steal across 32 minutes during Thursday's 123-107 loss to the Magic.
Kalkbrenner set a new career-high in points in this one, and this was his third game of the season in which he only missed one shot. He currently leads the league in field goal percentage, draining 90 percent of his shot attempts to go with averages of 11.0 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.0 steal and 1.4 swats per contest, which has him hovering inside the top-60 on the year.
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Hornets' Ryan Kalkbrenner: Tallies three steals
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Kalkbrenner posted 10 points (5-5 FT), six rebounds, three steals and one block in 31 minutes during Tuesday's 144-117 loss to the Heat.
Kalkbrenner went a perfect 5-for-5 from the field on the way to his third double-digit scoring performance of his young NBA career. It was a promising sign to see the rookie bounce back after he was held to four points Sunday against Washington. Kalkbrenner was also productive on the defensive end by racking up a season-high three steals, clearly playing at a level above Moussa Diabate, who has been hot on his heels for the starting center spot.
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Hornets' Ryan Kalkbrenner: Goes for 14 and 7 in loss to Philly
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Kalkbrenner finished Saturday's 125-121 loss to the 76ers with 14 points (7-7 FG), seven rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal across 26 minutes.
Over two games thus far, Kalkbrenner has missed only one field-goal attempt (12-13 FG) in his 53 combined minutes. The rookie out of Creighton has been the starter in each of those contests, and he'll look to keep up his solid start to the 2025-26 season against the Wizards on Sunday night in D.C.
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Hornets' Ryan Kalkbrenner: Double-double in debut
Rotowire
Kalkbrenner supplied 10 points (5-6 FG), 11 rebounds, two blocks and one assist in 27 minutes during Wednesday's 136-117 win over Brooklyn.
Kalkbrenner earned the start in his regular-season debut Wednesday and made the most of it, recording his first career double-double in a solid showing. The 2025 second-round pick was a dominant defensive and interior presence during his time at Creighton, so his early impact at the NBA level isn't overly surprising despite his draft position. Notably, Kalkbrenner logged six more minutes than fellow center Moussa Diabate, while Mason Plumlee didn't see any court time.
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Hornets' Ryan Kalkbrenner: Not starting vs. New York
Rotowire
Kalkbrenner is not in the starting lineup for Friday's preseason game against the Knicks.
Kalkbrenner will make way for Moussa Diabate at center in this preseason finale. The rookie out of Creighton has turned heads in preseason with his play, so he may have a solid grip on a rotation spot once the regular season begins against the Nets on Wednesday.
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Hornets' Ryan Kalkbrenner: Fares well off bench
Rotowire
Kalkbrenner finished with 11 points (4-6 FG, 3-5 FT), seven rebounds, two steals and one block across 25 minutes of Sunday's 135-114 preseason loss to the Thunder.
Mason Plumlee was out for personal reasons, while Moussa Diabate started at center and played 13 minutes. The Hornets gave all their starters a light workload, while Kalkbrenner led the team in minutes despite coming off the bench. Kalkbrenner has been generating a lot of buzz at training camp, and even if he doesn't start on Opening Night, it seems inevitable that he will win this position battle at some point soon.
