Should the Hornets begin to look to Tidjane Salaün as a starter?

If you asked this question just eight short months ago, the answer would be a resounding no.

In his first NBA season, Tidjane Salaün was already labeled a bust and a miss for President of Basketball Operations Jeff Peterson. At times, the 2024 NBA Draft's sixth overall selection looked like he was not even G-League ready, let alone NBA ready.

Tidjane averaged 5.9 points on extremely below average shooting splits, shooting 33.0% from the field and 28.3% from three. It was made all the more frustrating by the stellar rookie seasons of the players taken after him, such as Chicago's Matas Buzelis and Portland's Donovan Clingan.

The entire organization knew, though, that patience was needed with the French product.

The Summer League was a glimpse of hope. In just three games, he averaged 14 points and 5.7 rebounds, with an improved efficiency (44.8% from the field, 33.3% from three).

What's important to note about Tidjane is that his confidence almost never wavered. He still believed in his shot, still drove to the rim, and still looked to make the right play every time the ball was in his hands. While he had plenty of slip-ups, the potential had appeared in moments, but the start of his second season added more doom to the idea that he could get there.

He came out of the gate looking significantly improved, recording what may have been the best game of his young career in the Charlotte Hornets' season opener against the Brooklyn Nets. He finished with 10 points, 4 rebounds, shooting 4-7 from the field, and 2-3 from distance.

It looked like the now second-year forward was turning a corner, but the struggles came back. Over his next six games, Tidjane averaged just 2 points, shooting 25% from the field, and 22% from three. By November 2nd, he was replaced in the rotation by newcomer Pat Connaughton, and the team decided it was time for him to receive his first G-League stint of the 2025-26 season.

He went on to play ten games with the Greensboro Swarm, and he made the most of his newfound opportunities.

Across those ten games, Salaün averaged 16.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, shot 48.2% from the field, and hit at a 37% clip from distance. After his stellar performance in Greensboro, the Hornets called him back up prior to a three-game road-trip.

Tidjane received 18 minutes in his first night back, scoring 10 points and hitting a three against the very same Nets he had his first standout performance of the season against. Two days later, he played 23 minutes against the New York Knicks, scoring 13 points while hitting three threes.

On December 5, just his third game since returning from the G-League, Tidjane had the best game of his NBA career, a night in which he recorded 21 points and went 6-8 from the field, 5-6 from three, en route to a Hornets victory.

Since returning from the G-League, Salaün has averaged 9.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, shot 53.4% from the field, and 50.0% from three. He looks comfortable, confident, and has made a leap from his rookie season.

Over his last 11 games, he has been involved 21.5% of the time. up 3.7% from where he was during his first 8 games of the season. He has seen a jump of 4.9 points, 0.5 assists, 1.2 rebounds, 14.2% true shooting percentage, 5.9% two-point percentage, 18.2% three-point percentage, 11.4% free throw percentage, 0.3 steals, 0.2 blocks, and 7.3 minutes.

In his 319 total minutes of playing time this season, the Hornets' offensive rating improves by 2.0 points, their defensive rating improves by 4.2 points, and in total they have a +6.3 net rating when he is on the court.

While the Hornets do tend to turn the ball over more when he is on the court, their shooting splits improve, and their offensive rebound percentage improves, while the opposing team sees decreases in both statistics.

Tidjane has found himself playing a role recently that is much more comfortable for him than he was in last season. With this, it's allowed him to play to the best of his abilities, and the Hornets as a whole have benefited from the improved play from their young forward.

Currently, the Hornets do have a lack at the four position on the defensive end of the floor, resulting in Miles Bridges taking on a player who is typically bigger than him. In 999 minutes that Bridges has played, teams are securing offensive rebounds at a 26.4% clip, compared to 23.8% when he is off the floor.

It results in the Hornets' defensive rating being a 120.7 when he is on the floor, including a 60.5 true shooting percentage.

Those numbers all improve when Tidjane is on the court, with the defensive rating being 115.0, a true shooting percentage of 56.8%, and an opponent offensive rebounding rate of 24.2%.

While the differences might not look like much, these margins are meaningful over the course of an entire season, and Tidjane's size helps the Hornets stabilize on the defensive end of the floor.

While he does not have the flashy blocks and steals box score numbers, the improved defensive metrics show Tidjane's impact, and can help the Hornets win in the long run.

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