Fansided · Oct 30, 2025
Ryan Kalkbrenner has empathically answered every rookie's biggest question
Charlotte Hornets, Ryan Kalkbrenner | Jacob Kupferman/GettyImagesFour games in, and it's clear that Ryan Kalkbrenner is a starting-caliber player. Seeing a rookie thrive as a starter in his debut season is quite rare, and you have to hand it to the second-round pick for his quick progress and for rewarding the Charlotte Hornets' faith in him.
Interestingly, Kalkbrenner has outplayed probably over 20 of his draft classmates selected before him. In fact, NBA.com has him 10th in its first Rookie Ladder of the year. He also has a legitimate case to place higher, above even the three players ranked before him, namely Jeremiah Fears, Derik Queen, and Collin Murray-Boyles.