Tidjane Salaun is starting to finally show signs of promise for the Hornets

After his first season in the NBA, Tidjane Salaün was a hot topic amongst the Charlotte Hornets fanbase, and not for good reason.

The Hornets selected the forward sixth overall out of France, and it was clear from day one that there would need to be patience regarding his abilities. The potential was there, but it could be seen if the franchise and fanbase stayed patient.

With injuries to the Hornets' roster last season, Tidjane saw himself receive more minutes than the franchise likely intended for his rookie season. He averaged 20.7 minutes a night across 60 games for the Buzz, recording 5.9 points a night on 33% from the field and 28.3% from three.

Salaün's performances came to the disappointment of fans, and strong rookie campaigns from Donovan Clingan with the Portland Trail Blazers and Matas Buzelis with the Chicago Bulls made fans question why a rebuilding Hornets team selected a player viewed as a project.

A few months later, and things are starting to click for the second year forward.

Just a few short games into the season, Salaün was benched in favor of Pat Connaughton. In turn, the team assigned him for a stint with the Greensboro Swarm of the G-League.

Across ten games with the Swarm, Tidjane averaged 16.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, shot 48.2% from the field, and 37% from three. More importantly, his confidence was growing.

In his first NBA action in over a month, Salaün made his presence felt and finished a game against the Brooklyn Nets with 10 points in 18 minutes. He then followed it up with a 13-point performance, knocking down three of his five threes.

Then, in a win over the Toronto Raptors, Salaün had the best game of his young NBA career, recording 21 points, 3 rebounds, an assist, a steal, a block, making six of his eight shots, and five of his six threes.

The second year forward cooled of for a few games, but he showed out again in Thursday night's defeat of the Atlanta Hawks.

While the attention was on the performances of LaMelo Ball, Kon Knueppel, and Brandon Miller, Tidjane tallied 10 points, going 4-6 from the field and 2-4 from three. After putting up poor shooting splits in his rookie year, Tidjane made a jump, now shooting 53.4% from the field and 48.6% from three.

More importantly, in seven games since his G-League stint, he has averaged 10 points and shot 61.5% from the field and 56.5% from deep.

While the efficiency is exciting, those percentages will normalize at some point. What's important to know right now is how he is getting these points.

Last season, a significant portion of Tidjane's play saw him force up contested shots, have difficulties controlling the ball, and even finding the right spot on the court. After his G-League stint, Tidjane has leaned into a more simplified role, one he has been able to excel in.

He's scoring off cuts, spot-up threes, getting to the free-throw line, and transition opportunities. This is the Tidjane Salaün that the Hornets have been waiting for, one who has confidence and comfort within Charles Lee's offense.

Going forward, the Hornets are not asking for Tidjane to be a star or a great scorer. They need to see him play a role going forward, and his G-League stint has helped him learn and grow the confidence to fit into that role.

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