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Former Creighton standout Ryan Kalkbrenner making an early impact with Charlotte Hornets
- Updated: November 4, 2025
Ryan Kalkbrenner has already proven some doubters wrong, starting for the Hornets as a second-round pick.
If you remember watching Ryan Kalkbrenner at Creighton, you would have been forgiven for thinking the lanky, 7-foot Jim Parsons look-alike wouldn’t have much of a shot in the NBA.
Kalkbrenner moved a little awkwardly, he was a little too easy to push around, and it seemed often times that his best basketball skill was simply his height.
Even as he dominated in the Big East, averaging 19.2 points and 8.7 rebounds last season, plenty probably thought that wouldn’t necessarily continue in the pros.
But seven games into his NBA career and Bazinga– Kalk is already proving doubters wrong.
Not only has the second-round pick earned himself a guaranteed contract with the Charlotte Hornets, he’s started all seven games for them. He’s averaging 9 points, 6.6 boards and 2.1 blocks, but most impressively, is shooting a ridiculous 81.1% from the field.
Kalkbrenner’s size is obviously his biggest weapon– but he’s using it to throw down dunks, get hustle putbacks, and finish tough shots inside. He’s a good free throw shooter– as evidenced by his 79.5% from the stripe during the 2022-23 season in Omaha, and although he’s only shooting 60% so far as a pro, that should naturally improve.
The Hornets start three rookies and are one of the youngest teams in the league, but Kalkbrenner has clearly shown enough that he’s getting a chance to become part of their plan going forward.
As somebody who covers UConn and watches a lot of Big East hoops, it’s pretty cool to see such a familiar face making an early mark in the league.
Here’s hoping he can keep it up for a long while.
