{"id":75486,"date":"2025-07-19T13:42:12","date_gmt":"2025-07-19T13:42:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/75486\/"},"modified":"2025-07-19T13:42:12","modified_gmt":"2025-07-19T13:42:12","slug":"hornets-rookie-center-ryan-kalkbrenner-is-focused-on-building-team-chemistry-playing-winning-basketball-and-the-little-things","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/75486\/","title":{"rendered":"Hornets rookie center Ryan Kalkbrenner is focused on building team chemistry, playing winning basketball, and the little things"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\" By James Plowright<\/a><\/p>\n

July 19, 2025<\/p>\n

Photo: Hornets<\/a><\/p>\n

After being drafted 34th overall in the 2025 draft, Ryan Kalkbrenner has played an integral role in the Hornets\u2019 Summer League run, logging in over 25 minutes per game and successfully anchoring Charlotte\u2019s defense \u2014 helping them reach the semifinals for the first time in team history. We caught up with the Hornets rookie while he was in Vegas.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Despite being surrounded by the fandom of Summer League in Sin City, none of that seems to faze Kalkbrenner, who remains grounded and focused on team chemistry.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve practiced together for like two weeks, and we\u2019ve already come together. I think a lot, in the short amount of time,\u201d Kalkbrenner said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Kon Knueppel and Ryan Kalkbrenner run the pick n\u2019 roll for the alley-oop!<\/p>\n

A pair of @hornets<\/a> rookies working together \ud83d\ude4c pic.twitter.com\/mnNAIwisTf<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 NBA (@NBA) July 17, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Even though he looks comfortable on the court, there have been some adjustments for Kalkbrenner transitioning to the NBA game \u2014 most notably, the speed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe shot clock makes the game go by way faster. At Creighton we played fast, getting out and pushing it, but if we didn\u2019t like what we saw, we could slow it down,\u201d he said. \u201cBut with a 24-second shot clock, if you don\u2019t see anything, you still gotta push it.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

The Hornets have embraced an unselfish, team-oriented style of play during Summer League, and Kalkbrenner has been a key part of it. The four-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year has quietly anchored Charlotte\u2019s defense with a steady presence. His impact goes beyond the box score \u2014 consistently tagging cutters, delivering bone-rattling screens, boxing out with discipline, and protecting the rim without fouling. His shot-blocking instincts have deterred both bigs and guards, making him a reliable defensive anchor. While the box score numbers prove his value, personal accolades aren\u2019t his priority.<\/p>\n

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Ryan Kalkbrenner \u27a1\ufe0f Liam McNeeley for 3!<\/p>\n

A pair of Hornets rookies working together \ud83d\udcaa pic.twitter.com\/PHJFxv4xpH<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 NBA (@NBA) July 12, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cAll I\u2019ve ever really cared about is winning,\u201d Kalkbrenner said. \u201cWhile I did have a more prominent role at Creighton, our coach (Greg McDermott) was still on me all the time about doing all the little things. So coming into this new role where you don\u2019t have to do the big things\u2026Mac definitely helped prepare me for that transition.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Where Kalkbrenner will truly make his mark is on the defensive end. So far, he\u2019s thrived in drop coverage under head coach Chris Jent. Rather than chasing ball-handlers beyond the arc, Kalkbrenner hangs back and prioritizes protecting the paint \u2014 but it\u2019s not always as simple as it looks.<\/p>\n

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\u201cYou just got to know when to try and block the shot or when to just kind of play cat and mouse and give your guard time to get back in front of the ball-handler,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot of feel, more than anything else \u2014 especially in the NBA, when all the guards are so, so good, you have to play that [cat-and-mouse] game.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Hornets \u2013 Wide Delay Zoom \u2013 KJ Simpson<\/p>\n

After-timeout play: Jazz defend the Zoom action for Kon Knueppel well \u2014 next progression: flow into empty-corner pick-and-roll with KJ + Ryan Kalkbrenner pic.twitter.com\/yUHhZrFb9X<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Brian Geisinger (@bgeis_bird) July 12, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

At 23, Kalkbrenner entered the NBA as one of the older rookies in his class. While that may raise questions for some scouts, his maturity and self-awareness already set him apart. He knows his game, understands his role, and plays within it. The accolades from his college career \u2014 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year, Second-Team All-American, Big East Defensive Player of the Year \u2014 are in the rearview mirror, but the opportunity in front of him is something most rookies can only hope for: a clear path to minutes.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Charlotte strengthened its backcourt and wings this offseason, but the center spot remains one of the thinnest in the league. The trio of Plumlee, Diabate and Kalkbrenner each bring a different skill set, and on a team without many reliable perimeter stoppers, Kalkbrenner\u2019s rim protection could quickly become a regular fixture in the rotation.<\/p>\n

He\u2019ll have his hands full guarding some of the bigger, more skilled centers in the league, but for Kalkbrenner, the biggest adjustment may not be on the court. With a baby on the way, it\u2019s not just NBA matchups he\u2019s preparing for \u2014 it\u2019s fatherhood. And like everything else in his journey so far, he seems ready to take it head-on.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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The Hornets take on the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Summer League semifinals Saturday, July 19, at 6 p.m. ET, airing live on ESPN.<\/p>\n

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