By Will Eudy
June 24, 2026
In drafting Hannes Steinbach with the No. 14 pick and Christian Anderson Jr. at No. 18, the Hornets came away from the 2026 NBA Draft with two players who already share a strong familiarity, having spent significant time together on the international stage with the German national team. During Monday night’s post-draft press conference, Jeff Peterson wasted no time explaining why the organization was confident in selecting both players.
“He’s a guy that is the best rebounder in the draft,” Peterson said of Steinbach. “He is someone who is just continuously trying to get better. He’s very skilled, very high IQ player. He fits us from a DNA standpoint.”
Peterson’s emphasis on rebounding and team DNA is clear, but physicality is the biggest area of improvement this team needed to address. Steinbach, the 6’11” power forward/center, averaged 18.5 points and a nation-leading 11.8 rebounds per game at Washington while shooting 57.7% from the field. His toughness, motor, and aggression on the glass were consistently cited as his calling card throughout the pre-draft process, and they were attributes that moved the needle.
Physicality Starts Internally
Peterson was careful not to suggest on Monday night that Steinbach alone would solve the physicality issues that surfaced in the play-in loss against Orlando, and he circled back to crediting the team for already putting in the work.
“I couldn’t be more proud of our own guys… they’re in the weight room every day,” he said. “They took that Orlando game to heart, and they know that they have to look at themselves in the mirror and figure out how they can continue to take ownership.”
Since joining the Hornets in 2024, Peterson has been consistent in emphasizing effort and internal development, but adding the 6’11” Steinbach gives Charlotte a versatile frontcourt player who can contribute energy and physicality on both ends of the court immediately while also fitting into the team’s offensive system.
Christian Anderson Jr. Deepens the Backcourt
With the 18th pick, Peterson added a guard who gives the Hornets real half-court creation off the bench. Anderson, a 6-foot-2 guard out of Texas Tech, averaged 7.4 assists while shooting 41.5% on nearly eight three-point attempts per game.
The drop-off in half-court offense when LaMelo Ball isn’t on the floor has been a consistent issue for the team, although much of that was mitigated by the addition of Coby White. It was less pronounced after the trade deadline last season with a deeper roster, but it didn’t disappear entirely. Anderson could address that problem, as Peterson highlighted his pick-and-roll feel specifically and playmaking abilities.
“He is savvy in pick-and-roll, he can make the right reads, whether it’s a seam pass, pocket pass, find corners, he can throw lobs,” Peterson said.
The obvious question with Anderson is whether his frame holds up at the next level, and that’s something that only time will tell. His role shouldn’t require him to be a lockdown defender, but rather to keep the offense functioning off the bench, making reads, and knocking down threes — all of which he is capable of.
Coby White Remains the Priority in Free Agency
As expected, the topic of Coby White’s free agency came up, but Peterson didn’t dodge the questions.
“[Coby] is the priority, and he knows that,” Peterson said. “I said, whenever we made the trade for him, I just love everything that he’s about. There’s no doubt that he helped us, he made us better… He’s a professional, his habits are incredible. So he is the priority, and he knows that.”
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That tracks with everything Peterson has said publicly since acquiring him at the trade deadline. White is a free agent, but based on Monday night’s language, there’s no ambiguity about where Charlotte stands, and that should thrill Hornets fans that want to see him return. How much Coby costs and what the market looks like will still be real factors, but the organization clearly views him as part of its foundation.
Peterson also acknowledged they had multiple opportunities to make trades on draft night, but ultimately decided to pass. When push came to shove, he felt comfortable with where they landed, and it’s hard to argue with the reasoning.
The Hornets found themselves with two players who fit their culture, address real needs, and already know how to play together. But free agency is still ahead (negotiations officially begin on June 30 at 6 p.m.), so the offseason isn’t finished yet.
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“We’ve got to look at everything. Right now, my job is to do what’s best for the organization, so if there’s a move that can be made that helps us continue to take a step forward, absolutely we’re gonna look at it,” Peterson said. “We just want to be disciplined with our approach in terms of the assets that we do have. I feel like we’ve been pretty strategic in gathering them, so just figuring out what that’s going to look like moving forward.”
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