2026 Nba Draft Profile: Hannes Steinbach – How Far Can His Superpower Take Him?

While jack-of-all-trades prospects are tantalizing, the players who become special at the highest level were very often uniquely gifted at one skill or another as prospects. If you want to be great in the NBA, you need something to hang your hat on, a talent that teams will seek out and incentivize them to work around your weaknesses. Hannes Steinbach has one of those talents, as he is, without hyperbole, one of the best and most projectable rebounders to enter the league in years. And while rebounding dominance is far from the sexiest trademark skill a prospect can have, I believe Steinbach brings enough to the table to firmly be considered a lottery-level player.

On The Surface

Team: Washington Huskies

Height: 6’11

Weight: 220

Wingspan: Unconfirmed, likely 7’0-7’1

Age on draft day: 20.1

Counting Stats: 18.5 PPG, 11.8 RPG (4.2 ORPG), 1.6 APG, 1.1 SPG, 1.2 BPG, 58/34/76 shooting splits

Strengths

Steinbach’s rebounding on film is even more impressive than the Big 10 leading 11.8 rebounds he snagged per game would suggest – his combination of size, fluidity, and generationally soft hands create perhaps the most startlingly impressive rebounding highlights I have ever seen. Hannes is German-born, but if he grew up somewhere with American football we would be talking about him as the best tight end prospect of an era. Once he gets a finger on the basketball, you can guarantee that he’s pulling it down. He isn’t ground-bound either; while no one would call him an electrifying athlete, he moves around the court very fluidly and is quite quick off of the ground. Additionally, for someone who’s only 220 pounds (this is his last listed weight, I would bet that he comes in as heavier at the draft combine), he’s physically firm, and strong enough to reach and keep his spots on the court. This helps his rebound-radius to be remarkably wide – nearly every ball that comes off of the rim is well within Steinbach’s jurisdiction.

As the 18 points per game as a high major Freshman would indicate, Steinbach’s offensive value extends beyond rebounding his teammates misses. Most of his scoring is opportunistic, to be fair, but Steinbach is so good at those looks that it isn’t a slight at him to say that. His two most efficient play-types are immediately after rebounds or in transition – he tends to be in the right place at the right time, and when combined with his fluidity and strength, that creates highly efficient scoring opportunities. the transition scoring is something I expect to translate exceptionally well to the next level. While you wouldn’t want him dribbling too much in the half court, he functions well as rebound-and-run player, using his gazelle-like strides to do his best poor-mans Giannis impression.

The shooting is still a work in progress – he doesn’t play too similar to his German power forward predecessor – but there are lots of positive flashes. The form is solid and compact, lacking unexplained or unnecessary motions. A free throw percentage of 75.9% is promising as well, and when judged in tandem with his really solid touch in the paint (70% at the rim, 44.8% on non-rim twos, many of which were floaters and hook shots), I would be surprised if he wasn’t serviceable as a jump shooter once he hits the prime of his career.

His defense is likely where I am highest on Steinbach compared to consensus. Without a great vertical, commanding strength, or a height about 7’0, expecting him to develop into a paint anchor appears to be unfair. However, he’s surprisingly quick on his feet, be in the form of chasing a guard off of a switch or covering ground to help at the rim. It’s rare for smart, big, and positionally agile defenders to wind up being bad defenders at the NBA level, even if Steinbach is far from perfect at that end.

While this strength is more theoretical than actualized at this point, it would be remiss to not mention the flashes he shows as a passer. He misses a read here and there, and is far from a hub, but his vision and accuracy are generally impressive for a player at his size and age.

Weaknesses

Steinbach’s biggest weakness isn’t any one of his skills, but whether or not they combine to create a cohesive role in the NBA. If you look up “tweener” in the dictionary, it very well may be a picture of Hannes – too small to be a center and lacking the lateral quickness and ball skills that some modern day power forwards possess. These problems are present on offense and defense – if he plays center, he is neither an intimidating paint defender or as overwhelming an offensive rebounder. And, until he’s a more proven shooter or ball handler, can you really afford to play him at the power forward in a motion-based NBA offense? While his rebounding brings intrinsic value whenever he walks on the court, to best take advantage of Hannes as a player a coach must be intentional with how he plays him. However, that isn’t always realistic for a prospect likely to be picked somewhere in the mid teens to early twenties.

Additionally, much of Steinbach’s future appeal is largely theoretical in the present. Am I optimistic about his passing in the long run? Sure, but that passing comes and goes in the present – there’s a legitimate chance that it stagnates. A similar contention arises with his shooting. There are indicators that he can be a better shooter than he currently is, but that is betting on improvement that has not yet happened. He has a lot of the pieces of a really well-rounded offensive player, but don’t mistake me – it will take time and developmental priority for Steinbach to reach his potential, more so than a Cameron Boozer or Yaxel Lendeborg, two other strong prospects at his same position.

While strong post scoring is becoming less important as the years go by, it would be nice for Steinbach to be more impressive with his back to the basket. A simplistic handle and uncreative post moves lead to some bad shots – projecting Hannes to develop into an on ball scorer or becoming anything more than the opportunistic scorer that he is now isn’t the smartest bet.

Conclusion

Steinbach’s success at the NBA level depends a lot on what role he is asked to play. If he is casted as a center, his strengths are mitigated and his weaknesses are magnified. He lacks positional size for the 5 and his dominant rebounding, while still being impressive, is less comparatively impressive against other centers. However, at the power forward? I believe that NBA teams should always be looking to play the most size that they can without sacrificing versatility on either end. If Steinbach can develop as a shooter and passer, a team doesn’t lose the spacing or quick decision making necessary to operate a modern-day NBA offense. Instead, his rebounding is only additive – most forwards would be incapable of dealing with his size, and Steinbach’s team would always win the ever-important possession battle.

On defense, you can tell a similar story. If a coach sees a 6’11 rebounder and assumes he’s most fit to play center, Steinbach becomes very unimpressive. He won’t ever be a strong primary rim protector, and he loses the positional size that makes him so enticing. However, if he can be flying in from the weak-side, impacting pick-and-rolls and gobbling up the rebounds his center misses, Steinbach becomes a unique weapon that perfectly fits in the direction of large+mobile that the NBA is moving in.

Does he fit on the Jazz? That is harder to say. If we didn’t pick up Jaren Jackson Jr. – a player very similar to Steinbach in that his skills are maximized at the 4 instead of the 5 – I would be overjoyed at the possibility to draft Hannes. Guaranteeing strong rebounding over 48 minutes with a front court combo of Steinbach, Nurkic, and Kessler allows us to compete in the positionally-large Western Conference. However, with the roster as is? Steinbach would be beneficial but the cost to obtain him (trading into the second half the first round) might be greater than the benefit he would provide – power forward isn’t exactly our position of weakness. But his imperfect fit on the Jazz doesn’t speak too much on his value as a prospect; expect to see Hannes nearing the top of the rebounds per 36 minutes rankings for years to come.

Current Draft Projections (most recent big board/mock draft)

No Ceilings: 29

Sports Illustrated: 12

ESPN: 15

The Ringer: 14

CBS Sports: 20

Quite a wide range of projected outcomes for the Washington freshman, but what do you think? Discuss in the comments below where you would select Hannes Steinbach!