The Hornets Should Not Give Up On Tidjane Salaün Just Yet

Through two years, production has not been good, but Tidjane Salaün still has time to figure it out.

Charlotte Hornets forward Tidjane Salaun (31) goes to the basket against the Chicago Bulls during the first quarter | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The Charlotte Hornets have been managed extremely well under GM Jeff Peterson. Through those two years, they have simply stacked up really smart moves. They've done great on the trade market, in free agency, and in the draft.

Well, mostly great in the draft. The 2025 draft class is looking exceptional for Charlotte, but there is the question of Tidjane Salaün in 2024. He was taken over several prospects who've been much better so far.

Through two seasons, Salaün has averaged 5.9 points, 1.0 assists, 4.4 rebounds, and 0.2 blocks in 18.8 minutes per game. His shooting splits are 38.5/32.6/69.4. That's pretty ugly for the sixth overall pick, but it's far from time to give up.

Salaün, even now, is not yet 21 years old. He was raw when the Hornets drafted him, so they knew this was a long-term developmental project. Nothing so far has been totally surprising to the front office, although Salaün was alarmingly bad in his rookie season.

However, year two was much better, albeit in very little playing time. He averaged 15.5 minutes per game and only appeared in 37 contests. He spent a lot of time in the G League, where he often appeared up and down.

Stockton Kings’ Gabe Levin, right, goes to the hoop against Greensboro Swarm’s Tidjane Salaun during the second game | CLIFFORD OTO/THE STOCKTON RECORD / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

But in NBA action, Salaün was quietly pretty good. He had a positive net rating at 2.1. His 111.1 defensive rating ranked sixth among those who played at least 30 games last season. His offensive rating was a solid 113.2.

But across the board, Salaün took a big step forward. That net rating is 14 points better than his 2024-25 mark. The offensive rating is up by 19.8 points. His true shooting was 17.2% better, which is just an outstanding jump.

It's all still a ridiculously small sample size. Salaün has played barely over a season's worth of games in the two seasons combined at the NBA level. He's still extremely raw.

But after the abysmal rookie season he had when he was forced, by injuries, into far too much time against NBA players, any improvement is nice, and this was a pretty substantial improvement. He was a much better player.

He also has everything the Hornets want. He is 6'10", so he'd actually present some size in the frontcourt since he's three inches taller than Miles Bridges. He has showcased the shooting to at least somewhat replace Bridges' offensive gravity from deep.

He's tall, has the ability to defend, can shoot, and is very young. Until the Hornets are certain he will never make it at the NBA level, they should continue developing him. And so far, it sure looks like he's on his way to figuring it out.

Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter for the latest news and updates on the Charlotte Hornets