Charlotte Hornets center Moussa Diabate won't play Wednesday night against the Atlanta Hawks or against the Houston Rockets after the All-Star break due to a two-game suspension. Diabate was partially responsible for starting a scuffle with Detroit center Jalen Duren, which escalated into a brawl. Duren, Isaiah Stewart, and Miles Bridges were all tagged with suspensions of various lengths. Rookie center Ryan Kalkbrenner should return to the starting lineup while Diabate serves his suspension. Diabate is averaging a career-best 8.2 points and 8.6 rebounds. He'll be eligible to return on February 20th against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges and center Moussa Diabate were ejected in the third quarter of Monday's 110-104 loss to the Detroit Pistons. With 7:09 remaining in the quarter, Diabate committed a foul on Pistons center Jalen Duren, leading to the two players butting heads. A brawl broke out after Duren pushed Diabate in the face. Bridges threw punches at Duren and Isaiah Stewart, who joined the altercation from the Pistons' bench. Charlotte also finished the game without head coach Charles Lee, who was ejected in the fourth quarter after losing his cool over a foul call. There are likely suspensions for players involved in the incident. The absence of Bridges and Diabate from the rotation would enhance the fantasy value of Ryan Kalkbrenner and Grant Williams.

Charlotte Hornets center Moussa Diabate (hamstring) is available to play ahead of Sunday's game against the Denver Nuggets. Diabate is back in the mix after sitting out the front end of the back-to-back set due to a right hamstring strain. He's back on Sunday and should return to his role as the starting center. This month, Diabate is averaging 9.3 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 30.5 minutes across six games in January. Ryan Kalkbrenner will take the biggest hit to his fantasy value with Diabate back in the mix. Diabate offers enough upside to at least be rostered in deep leagues.

Charlotte Hornets center Ryan Kalkbrenner (elbow) has been ruled out for Wednesday's matchup against the Toronto Raptors, while center Moussa Diabate (wrist) is listed as probable on the injury report. Kalkbrenner will sit out his ninth consecutive game due to a sprained left elbow. Diabate skipped a couple of games last week due to a wrist sprain, but it looks like he will be good to go against Toronto. With Kalkbrenner sidelined, Diabate has stepped into a regular starting role, averaging 8.8 points and 11.0 rebounds per game with the first unit. Facing a Raptors team missing Jakob Poeltl (back) on Wednesday, Diabate is well-positioned for another productive outing.

Charlotte Hornets center Moussa Diabate (wrist) will play on Monday versus the Thunder after missing the last two games. With Ryan Kalkbrenner (elbow) out of commission, Diabate has been filling in admirably. In six starts this season, he's averaged 8.8 points and 11.8 rebounds, which is good enough to land him a spot in most fantasy lineups, even with a tough matchup on tap. Diabate's return will mean PJ Hall will head back to the bench.

Charlotte Hornets center Moussa Diabate (wrist) has been tagged as questionable on the injury report ahead of Friday's contest against the Milwaukee Bucks. The 23-year-old big man, who has been Charlotte's starting center in recent games, sprained his right wrist against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday. Diabate's absence would be a massive blow for the Hornets, who have already been without Ryan Kalkbrenner (elbow) and Mason Plumlee (groin). PJ Hall will likely be the next man up as the starting center if Diabate exits the lineup. With that said, Friday is a tough matchup for Charlotte's bigs, as Milwaukee allows the third-fewest fantasy points to opposing fives.

Charlotte Hornets center Moussa Diabate (knee) has been upgraded to available for Friday's game against the Chicago Bulls. He was previously listed as questionable, but is now set to return after a one-game absence. Diabate figures to return to his role as the primary backup center to Ryan Kalkbrenner. This season, Diabate is averaging 8.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists across 22.4 minutes per game. His overall ceiling is limited with Kalkbrenner being the starting big man. He offers low-end streaming appeal ahead of Friday's contest.

Charlotte Hornets forward/center Moussa Diabate (knee) has been listed as questionable for Thursday's clash against the New York Knicks. He injured his right knee on Tuesday against the Atlanta Hawks. Fortunately, it seems that Diabate has avoided serious injury, but he may still have to sit out some action to fully recover. With Mark Williams and Jusuf Nurkic both in the lineup, Diabate doesn't have significant fantasy value. The 23-year-old has averaged 4.4 points and 3.5 rebounds in 13.1 minutes since the start of March.

Charlotte Hornets center Moussa Diabate (eye) has been removed from the injury report ahead of Wednesday's game against the Los Angeles Lakers. Diabate is set to return to the court after missing the final game before the All-Star break due to an eye issue. His role in the rotation is a bit unclear right now due to the status of Mark Williams. Diabate finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds during his final game before the break. It seems likely that Diabate will have an increased role in the rotation during the second half of the season. His rebounding ability alone makes him worth looking at in fantasy formats.

Charlotte Hornets center Moussa Diabate (eye) will not be in the lineup on Wednesday against the Orlando Magic. He put in an impressive double-double performance against the Brooklyn Nets on Monday, bagging 21 points and 10 rebounds, but Diabate also aggravated an eye abrasion in the contest, which will sideline him for Wednesday's action. With Mark Williams still away from the team, Jusuf Nurkic and Taj Gibson will be the main options at center. Nurkic is penciled in for his Hornets debut, but he will be on a minutes restriction, so fantasy managers will only get limited production from him on Wednesday.

Charlotte Hornets center Moussa Diabate (eye) will make a third consecutive start on Monday against the Brooklyn Nets. He injured his right eye in Sunday's matchup against the Detroit Pistons, exiting the action after logging only seven minutes. Charlotte initially listed Diabate as questionable for Monday night, but he has now been upgraded to available. The 23-year-old Michigan product has impressed in recent outings but may lose playing time to Jusuf Nurkic, who is available to make his Hornets debut on Monday.

It's funny that every year at the NBA Draft, once the end of the guaranteed money and live appearances arrives at the end of the first round, everybody tunes out and refers to the 60th pick as "Mr. Irrelevant." That's not very accurate though, is it?Speaking historically, the title of "Mr. Irrelevant" could just as easily be applied to each pick in the draft, as organizations differ greatly in their evaluation of talent and their own needs, particularly in a year without the NCAA tournament. The nickname just doesn't reflect how basketball works anymore. Executives strategically stockpile second-round draft picks for the less burdensome financial obligations, and organizations in rebuilding mode get super creative to field a respectable team on a budget.Particularly in the NBA where worldwide talent is plentiful and positional lines continue to fade, the opportunity is everything: in the right situation, the right under-the-radar player can make an immediate, poignant statement. With professional development leagues for 16-18-year-olds, an ever-expanding set of domestic/international opportunities due to the sheer growth of basketball, and widespread NIL rights for college athletes, players of all levels and localities are starting to get their due exposure and now have enough freedom to hone their skills in a place, and at a pace, that fits best with their path to the NBA. 

Introduction

I am inherently skeptical and distrusting of scouting from the high school level to pre-Draft. That's why in this annual article, I tend to favor overlooked college players (love the mid-majors/non-power conferences) with either well-rounded, polished games or specific statistical specialties.We are going to discuss a handful of 2023 second-round picks and undrafted free agent signees who, given their individual skillsets and circumstances, warrant the attention of Fantasy Basketball Managers as potential high-impact rookies for the 2023-24 campaign who can quietly be acquired on clearance once they start showing signs of emergence.As I will frequently emphasize and reiterate: in 2023, there is very little difference between the vast majority of second-round draft picks and undrafted free agents--it always all comes down to the skillsets they possess, their capacity for growth, and the situations they've landed in.Seasons will be made and broken with early identification of the diamond-in-the-rough rookies. I used to list out the many examples from the past season in this introduction portion, but we are now in a beautiful era where there are just too many to count. There is also very little separating the featured players below and those dubbed "Honorable Mentions"--so put in the work and keep an eye out throughout the regular season for who is receiving and seizing their opportunities. 

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Los Angeles Clippers forward Moussa Diabate has agreed to a two-way contract with the organization on Monday. The 21-year-old appeared in 22 games with the Clippers last season while on a two-way deal. He averaged 2.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 0.2 assists across 8.9 minutes per game. Diabate made two appearances in the Summer League this year before suffering a rib contusion. He missed the final three games because of that, but should be fine by training camp. It's uncertain if Diabate will make the Clippers roster right away, so he'll likely spend a majority of his time in the G-League.

The Los Angeles Clippers have tendered a two-way qualifying offer to forward Moussa Diabate. Doing this makes the 21-year-old a restricted free agent this summer. Diabate made the all-rookie team in the G-League this past season. He has left a strong impression on the Clippers organization. Last season, Diabate averaged 15.9 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists while in the G-League. He saw some brief time with the Clippers as well, but only averaged 8.9 minutes per game. The assumption is that Diabate will have a bigger role on the Clippers going forward, but that depends on how this offseason goes for them.