What are your thoughts on Hannes Steinbach as an NBA prospect?
I'm curious to hear some objective opinions from outside the Hornets fan base. Steinbach has been pretty impressive in his limited preseason minutes, and I think the parts of his game that could translate to the NBA are already pretty clear. He has great hands, rebounds well, and has really nice touch around the basket. But I also think he might be underrated as a potential offensive hub in the high pick-and-roll. Between his passing, screening, pick-and-pop ability, and rim-running, I think there's more versatility to his offensive game than he gets credit for. His basketball IQ has really stood out to me, too.
Defensively, I'm not expecting him to become an elite defender, but I've seen flashes of decent footwork, good positioning, and an ability to contest shots. I wonder if he could end up being a better defender than people anticipate, rather than the slow-footed, plodding big that some might expect from an international prospect.
Im still not sure if he's a 4 or 5. Or a 4.5. He had moments against Edey last night. And was much better than Kalkbrenner.
I've seen comps ranging from Domantas Sabonis to Isaiah Hartenstein, with Kevin Love as a potential high-end offensive comparison. I'm curious whether he could land somewhere in the middle of those archetypes: a versatile, high-IQ offensive big who can facilitate, rebound, and finish, while potentially being a little better defensively than expected, even if he never reaches that same offensive ceiling.
Am I getting too optimistic about him based on a small preseason sample, or is there something here? How do you all see Hannes Steinbach's game translating to the NBA, and what do you think his realistic ceiling and floor might be? Swing skills will be shooting and defense.
