NBA
Charlotte’s rookie center has made NBA history through his first 10 games
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated4 minutes ago on November 12, 2025
To begin the 2025-26 season, the Hornets are off to a 3-7 start. The team is 1-6 in their last seven games. Charlotte is home on Wednesday for the first of two consecutive games vs. the Milwaukee Bucks.
Rookie center Ryan Kalbrenner will have his hands full facing Giannis Antetokounmpo and Myles Turner. However, the 23-year-old has been holding his own to start the season. Devon Henderson of The Athletic reported that Ryan Kalkbrenner broke a rookie record set by Yao Ming in 2002. His 80.8 field goal percentage is now the highest ever for any player with at least 50 attempts over his first 10 NBA games. NBA history for Ryan Kalkbrenner.
Ryan Kalkbrenner is quietly having a strong start to his rookie campaign
Ryan Kalkbrenner doing what he’s best at, being big…
7’1 w/o shoes, 7’7 wingspan. Great cleanup work on the glass, with putbacks & tap outs. Nice recovery pin-block. Screening, slipping, diving, & dunking. Working the handoff game. Just out there doing competent big-man stuff. pic.twitter.com/CEYM1LgT8s
— Basketball University (@UofBasketball) October 12, 2025
With the 34th pick in the 2025 NBA draft, the Hornets selected Ryan Kalkbrenner out of Creighton. He played five seasons for the Blue Jays and was named an All-American in 2024-25. During his final collegiate seasons, Kalkbrenner averaged 19.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 2.7 blocks per game. Ryan Kalkbrenner is off to a strong start to begin his rookie season with Charlotte. Through 10 games, he is averaging 9.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.0 steals, and 2.3 blocks.
According to Devon Henderson of The Athletic, Ryan Kalkbrenner broke a rookie record that was set by Yao Ming in 2002. Kalkbrenner’s 80.8 field goal percentage is now the highest ever for any player with at least 50 attempts over his first 10 NBA games. The rookie has made 42 of his 52 field goal attempts to begin the season. Kalkbrenner is playing at an extremely efficient level for the Hornets.
Speaking with the media, Ryan Kalkbrenner had this to say about his consistency early on.
“It’s just a credit to my teammates who let me get easy looks,” said Kalkbrenner. “I mean, it’s not my role to take tough shots, so of course I’m at a decent percentage, but my teammates do a really good job of finding me on dump-offs when I’m wide open and whatnot. So, I’m just glad I’m able to finish some of them.” – Ryan Kalkbrenner
One area of his game that needs his work is his consistency from range. He shot .311% from beyond the arc for his career with Creighton. Through 10 games with the Hornets, Ryan Kalkbrenner has yet to take a shot from outside. That could be by design of the coaching staff. Ryan Kalkbrenner is a dominant player in the paint, and he’s proved that early on. Ryan Kalkbrenner has started all 10 games for the Horents in 2025-26. He’s averaging 26.6 minutes per game.
