Moussa Diabate was cleared on the Hornets' injury report Tuesday afternoon after four days as day-to-day. The forward is available for Wednesday's season opener at the Nets.
What happened
The Hornets' injury report issued Tuesday at 5:15 PM ET lists Moussa Diabate as cleared. His previous status was day-to-day. The 24-year-old forward first appeared on the report on Friday, Oct. 16, as day-to-day with a right elbow issue. The report carries no comment on the change and no further detail on the elbow. Diabate had not been ruled out of any regular-season game, since the 2026-27 season has not started. The clearance comes one day before Charlotte opens the year on the road.
What it means for the Hornets
Charlotte opens the 2026-27 season at the Nets on Wednesday, Oct. 21 at 7:30 PM ET, and Diabate is available for it. Last season he played 73 games at 26.0 minutes, averaging 7.9 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists. That frontcourt production matters right now because the Hornets go into the opener short-handed. Kon Knueppel and Grant Williams are both out with hamstring injuries, Coby White is out with a left calf issue and Kylan Boswell is out with a right knee issue. With Diabate sidelined, Ryan Kalkbrenner and Williams had been absorbing frontcourt minutes. The record with and without him is not yet a factor, since there are no regular-season games on the books.
What to watch
The next Hornets injury report will confirm whether Diabate's status holds through game day Wednesday. No minutes restriction has been announced. The bigger question for Charlotte is the rest of the list. Knueppel, Williams, White and Boswell remain out, and none of them has an announced return date. The opener at the Nets is Wednesday at 7:30 PM ET, and the game-day report will show whether any of those names move.
Is Moussa Diabate playing at the Nets on Wednesday?
Yes, as of Tuesday's injury report he is cleared and available for the opener at the Nets on Wednesday, Oct. 21 at 7:30 PM ET.
When will Moussa Diabate be back?
He is already back. The Tuesday injury report cleared him after he had been day-to-day with a right elbow issue since Friday, Oct. 16.