Analyzing the ups and downs of Tidjane Salaün's first season in the NBA

How did the rookie look in his first season in the pros?

Apr 4, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Tidjane Salaun (31) reacts to his three point play against the Sacramento Kings during the second quarter at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The 2024-25 Charlotte Hornets campaign has come to an end, and no player is under a microscope more than the 6th overall pick in last June's draft, Tidjane Salaun.

Salaun's season came to a disappointing end, averaging five points, five rebounds, and two assists in both of his last two games in Boston. The rookie shot 17/18/100 and added five turnovers as well.

It was a disappointing season for Salaun overall, finishing the year with 5.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.2 assists, while shooting 33.0% from the field and 28.3% from three. If it was not for Cody Williams in Utah, it would be extremely easy to say Salaun had the worst season of any of the lottery picks.

"(Tidjane Salaun) had a season that was consistent with the second youngest player in the NBA. There were some good moments, some not-so-good moments, but none of that came as a surprise to us; we knew it was going to be a learning curve." Executive VP of Basketball Operations Jeff Peterson said about Salaun's rookie season.

🎙️ Jeff Peterson: "(Tidjane Salaun) had a season that was consistent with the second youngest player in the NBA. There were some good moments, some not-so-good moments, but none of that came as a surprise to us; we knew it was going to be a learning curve."

"Coming from the… pic.twitter.com/THKfprMFdD

— r/CharlotteHornets on Reddit (@HornetsReddit) April 14, 2025

The French product was not disappointed in the end of the season, and took it as a learning experience.

"I had a lot of experience during this year. That was cool to be around all of these guys and this organization," Salaun mentioned during Monday's exit interviews. "That was great, and with all of this experience, I'm going to translate everything for next season."

During the exit interviews, he also dropped two important facts for fans still hopeful for the 19-year-old.

"I love the offseason," Salaun mentioned. "It's one of my favorite moments of the year. Like every year, that's the moment where I put in the work, and I do everything to be the most successful, best version of me. All the work I'm going to do is going to be important for me to be better next season, and to be ready for another year and another opportunity."

Salaun also mentioned that he will be playing in the Summer League during July, which will be important for his development. Tidjane spoke about the importance of the Summer League and how excited he was for it, saying it will be helpful to play in "scrimmages" with NBA rules.

Salaun's Rookie Season

Apr 8, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Tidjane Salaun (31) complains after he is called on a foul against Memphis Grizzlies forward center Jaren Jackson Jr. (13) during the second half at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images / Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images

As mentioned before, Tidjane averaged 5.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.2 assists, while shooting 33.0% from the field and 28.3% from three. He played in 60 games for the Buzz this year, missing the other 22 due to injury or time with the Greensboro Swarm, the Hornets G-League affiliate.

With the Swarm, Salaun played in five games, averaging 11.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists. The rookie shot 37.1% from the field and 24% from three as well during this time.

Let's put Tidjane's season how it was: he is an extremely raw player and can be tabbed the Bruno Cabocolo "two years away from being two years away" term. Salaun showed extreme promise towards the end of the season, averaging 8.3 points and 6.0 rebounds in his final 16 games of the season, shooting 39.4% from the floor and 31.8% from three. If you remove the two Boston games, his shooting splits go to 43.5% and 34.5%.

Salaun needs time, and fans cannot expect immediate high-level production from him. The promise was there, but so were the lows. And oh boy, the lows were not amazing.

TIDJANE SALAUN?

🤯🤯🤯 pic.twitter.com/wMmCeScC6y

— Hornets Nation Brasil (@HornetsNationBR) April 8, 2025

Salaun showed a development in his handle towards the end of the season, as he found the ball in his hands more with the Hornets top 6 essentially out from March to the end of the season. He looked more confident as his shots fell, and found a signature fist-pump that would appear after every big play from him.

There is no question the potential is there. The question is, can Tidjane tap into it, or will we continue to see moments where it looks like this is his first time playing organized basketball? Only time will tell.

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