Jeff Peterson Should Get a Pass for the Salaün Pick, No Matter How He Pans Out

Sometimes you swing and come up empty. That might be the case here with the Hornets' 2024 first-round pick.

Dec 12, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Tidjane Salaun (31) goes to the basket against the Chicago Bulls during the first quarter at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

If you set your feelings toward the LaMelo Ball trade aside, I think the majority of Charlotte Hornets fans would agree with me that Jeff Peterson has done a magnificent job calling the shots since taking over for Mitch Kupchak. For the most part, he has drafted well, found some hidden gems, and brought in some intriguing talent through trades without having to give up much, if anything of real value.

The one thing that continues to hang around Peterson, again aside from the Melo trade, is his selection of Tidjane Salaün with the sixth overall pick in the 2024 draft.

Hindsight is 20/20 — Salaün should not have been the name the Hornets wrote on the card. But at the time, it's hard to blame Peterson for taking a swing on a player like him who has incredible athleticism, a great motor, and a tremendous work ethic.

All of that still exists, which is why some Hornets fans (and the front office) still believe there's a chance he can turn out to be a quality role player. He doesn't need to become a starter for the pick to be considered a success. That draft class was...let's just put it nicely...ROUGH.

The No. 1 overall pick, Zaccharie Risacher, has already been traded, and only Spurs guard Stephon Castle is the only one of the top five picks to average north of 15 per game. With Risacher, Alex Sarr, Reed Sheppard, Castle, and Ron Holland off the board, it left the Hornets with Salaün, Donovan Clingan, Rob Dillingham, Dalton Knecht, and a few others to realistically choose from.

Sure, some other guys who were taken well after, like Matas Buzelis, Kel'el Ware, and Jared McCain, all turned out to be solid players, but no one had them as a top-six pick heading into the draft, or anything near it for that matter.

Yeah, Clingan would have been the obvious choice looking back on it, but even he wasn't sure thing to pan out. None of these guys were. If there was ever a draft you could take a big swing and be okay with it not going the way you expected, it was with that 2024 class. And for that, Peterson should get a pass for the pick.

It's not like there was anyone taken right after that would have completely changed the Hornets' future. Even if you make the argument for Clingan, ask yourself: Is he really that much better than what they have right now? The answer is probably not.

Salaün can still become something for the Hornets, although it feels like the sand in the hourglass is quickly running low.

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