It’s a first tainted by defeat, but a hell of a first nonetheless. Moussa Diabaté, always full of energy and ready to sink into the slightest minute with Charlotte since the start of the season, delivered a very big match against Orlando, on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, and achieved the first double double of his NBA career, with 12 points and 15 rebounds on the court for the Magic (89-114).
Coming off the bench, the Paris native first grabbed numerous rebounds, as he has been doing for several days now (15 taken against Indiana, 11 in Philadelphia), but this time he added an initiative on the shoot, and with efficiency (6/7 at two points). In verve, the interior crunched into its most playing time this season (30 minutes), adding 2 assists, 3 blocks and an interception.
After two seasons with the Clippers, who drafted him in 43rd position in 2022, Diabaté (22 years old) took advantage of his arrival with the Hornets, who signed him on a two-way contract last summer, to take a little more of space in the rotation, within a team under construction, where injuries inside are accumulating and where LaMelo Ball cannot do everything (35 points in Orlando).
