By July 19, 2025
Photo: Hornets
After being drafted 34th overall in the 2025 draft, Ryan Kalkbrenner has played an integral role in the Hornets’ Summer League run, logging in over 25 minutes per game and successfully anchoring Charlotte’s defense — helping them reach the semifinals for the first time in team history. We caught up with the Hornets rookie while he was in Vegas.
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.
“We’ve practiced together for like two weeks, and we’ve already come together. I think a lot, in the short amount of time,” Kalkbrenner said.
Kon Knueppel and Ryan Kalkbrenner run the pick n’ roll for the alley-oop!
A pair of @hornets rookies working together 🙌 pic.twitter.com/mnNAIwisTf
— NBA (@NBA) July 17, 2025
Even though he looks comfortable on the court, there have been some adjustments for Kalkbrenner transitioning to the NBA game — most notably, the speed.
“The shot clock makes the game go by way faster. At Creighton we played fast, getting out and pushing it, but if we didn’t like what we saw, we could slow it down,” he said. “But with a 24-second shot clock, if you don’t see anything, you still gotta push it.
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’s defense with a steady presence. His impact goes beyond the box score — 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’t his priority.
Ryan Kalkbrenner ➡️ Liam McNeeley for 3!
A pair of Hornets rookies working together 💪 pic.twitter.com/PHJFxv4xpH
— NBA (@NBA) July 12, 2025
“All I’ve ever really cared about is winning,” Kalkbrenner said. “While 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’t have to do the big things…Mac definitely helped prepare me for that transition.”
Where Kalkbrenner will truly make his mark is on the defensive end. So far, he’s 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 — but it’s not always as simple as it looks.
“You 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,” he said. “It’s a lot of feel, more than anything else — especially in the NBA, when all the guards are so, so good, you have to play that [cat-and-mouse] game.”
Hornets – Wide Delay Zoom – KJ Simpson
After-timeout play: Jazz defend the Zoom action for Kon Knueppel well — next progression: flow into empty-corner pick-and-roll with KJ + Ryan Kalkbrenner pic.twitter.com/yUHhZrFb9X
— Brian Geisinger (@bgeis_bird) July 12, 2025
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 — Naismith Defensive Player of the Year, Second-Team All-American, Big East Defensive Player of the Year — 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.
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’s rim protection could quickly become a regular fixture in the rotation.
He’ll 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’s not just NBA matchups he’s preparing for — it’s fatherhood. And like everything else in his journey so far, he seems ready to take it head-on.
The Hornets take on the Sacramento Kings in the Summer League championship game on Sunday, July 19 at 10 p.m. ET, airing live on ESPN.
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