How Some "Hustle" Transformed Moussa Diabaté And The Charlotte Hornets

How did the Moose become loose?

Moussa Diabaté’s impact won’t always show in the box score, but it is always there.

He molded his game around doing the little things, and it took him from being a two-way player searching for his second opportunity to one of the Hornets’ best developmental stories in recent history.

Diabaté’s willingness to embrace a role that many players can’t earned him recognition last season as the NBA’s Hustle Player of the Year. It’s an award unlike any other in the league, as it is not voted on but determined by a formula.

That formula includes stats such as box outs, screen assists and shot contests, all areas Diabaté finished near the top of the league in.

“Little things matter,” Diabaté said to a group of reporters, supporters and teammates as he was officially presented the award. “I feel like, as players, sometimes we kind of forget it, and we’re just looking at the stats.”

While the contributions Diabaté makes can often go unnoticed, he did them so well, so often, it was hard to miss.