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Tidjane Salaun's career night a reflection of Hornets' sound developmental program

He's only 20 years old, folks.
Colin Keane|
Charlotte Hornets wing Tidjane Salaun.
Charlotte Hornets wing Tidjane Salaun. | Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images

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Charlotte Hornets

The Charlotte Hornets blew out the Raptors in Toronto on Friday, and the night belonged to 20-year-old NBA sophomore Tidjane Salaun.

Salaun, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft, finished with a career-high 21 points in Toronto on a ridiculous 5-of-6 from three-point range.

The Frenchman added three rebounds, an assist, a steal, and a block in just 22 minutes of action -- his best career performance to date.

Tidjane Salaun breaks out against Raptors, reminding everyone of his potential

Salaun's performance on Friday night was a continuation of stellar play from him over the past three games since he returned to the NBA from the G League.

Salaun is averaging 14.6 points and 3.7 rebounds per game since his return on 63.6 percent from the floor and 64.3 percent from three.

These numbers, though inflated and bound to level off shortly, emphasize two points. First, that the Hornets know what they are doing when it comes to Salaun's development, and that sending him down to the G was a brilliant decision.

Second, it reminds basketball fans not to attach any stigma to the G League as some doomsday location of no return for potential NBA contributors. Various players from Pascal Siakam to Neemias Queta have spent time in the G, only to go onto bigger and better things at the next level.

Salaun himself deserves a ton of credit for his outbreak, of course. He's no doubt heard the negative noise that comes with a lottery pick being "demoted", and Salaun's simply stayed the course and continued to work hard, and he's being rewarded sooner than anyone expected.

Friday night's experience will do wonders for Salaun's confidence, which is only great news for the Hornets' young core moving forward.

Salaun's big night will also do much to strengthen trust from his teammates and coaching staff. Following the game, both Charles Lee and Kon Knueppel spoke about Salaun and his contributions.

"Ever since he's come back, he's recognized how important it is to, defensively, give us a good presence there, and then offensively just to continue to be a great connector," Lee said. "His off-ball habits have improved tremendously."

It wasn't just the scoring that made Salaun's performance important, something Knueppel spoke to. "As a team, we don't think about (the scoring)," Kon said.

"We think about the other things he did—how hard he played, crashing the boards, playing great defense. Those are the things that stand out to his teammates."

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Colin Keane
COLIN KEANE

Colin Keane is a contributing journalist for "UConn Huskies On SI." Born in Illinois, Colin grew up in Massachusetts as the third of four brothers. For his high school education, Colin attended St. Mark's School (Southborough, MA), where he played basketball and soccer and served as student body president. He went on to receive a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Villanova University. Colin currently resides in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "UConn Huskies On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org

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