What Should the Expectation be on Tidjane Salaün Entering his Third Season?

Headed into the 2024 NBA Draft, the Charlotte Hornets were looking to add another franchise cornerstone to LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller. Though they had the sixth overall pick in the draft, the Hornets had plenty of options available, such as UConn's Donovan Clingan, Purdue's Zach Edey, and G-League Ignite's Matas Buzelis.

Shockingly, the Hornets went with none of them, selecting France forward Tidjane Salaün, a 6'9 forward who's athleticism, shooting, motor, and potential intrigued the franchise enough to select him with the sixth pick.

Since the moment the team took him with that selection, it's been evident that he is more of a long-term, developmental piece, rather than a player who would provide an immediate impact. In his first season with the team, Tidjane was required to play a significantly more minutes and games than the franchise likely hoped when they first selected him, as injuries piled up on the roster.

He ended up playing 60 games in his rookie year, averaging 20.7 minutes a night. During that timeframe, he averaged 5.9 points, shooting 33.0% from the field and 28.3% from three. While flashes were shown, his rookie season was widely seen as a disappointment.

With year two coming around, pressure began to build on Salaün. The Hornets lacked at the center position after dealing Mark Williams in the offseason, while Donovan Clingan (Portland) and Zach Edey (Memphis) shined in their new homes.

In his second season, the team was blessed with health, and Tidjane was able to spend more time developing his game with the Greensboro Swarm. In his 37 games with the Hornets, the young forward averaged 6.0 points, shot 50.3% from the field, and 43.4% from three, showing signs of development with a strong stretch in early December.

In four regular season games in Greensboro, Tidjane averaged 21 points, 9.5 rebounds, and shot 50% from the floor. He played a pivotal role in helping the franchise secure it's first ever G-League championship, and showed real signs of development.

As we enter the offseason, year three may be the most important season yet for Salaün.

Headed into the NBA Draft, Tidjane was compared to Denver's Aaron Gordon, as the two had a similar size, athleticism, and long-term upside. Though they play different styles of basketball, Gordon's early years show us that raw forwards often require a significant amount of patience.

In his first two seasons after being drafted by the Orlando Magic, Gordon averaged 5.2 points in year one, and 9.2 in year two, continuing to work to improve his offensive game. The flashes were there, but he was still far from becoming the championship-level role player he turned into in Denver.

In Gordon's third season, he played 80 games, and averaged 12.7 points, and showed real signs of becoming an NBA contributor. The Hornets have hope that Tidjane can make a similar leap in his third-year, and the development and growth truly show.

Whether or not Salaün reaches that level still remains to be seen, but year three likely will be the clearest indication of what the Hornets have in the former sixth overall pick. As the team continues to build around LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and now Kon Knueppel, development from Tidjane would give the franchise another key piece to build around long-term. After two seasons filled with flashes, disappointment, and inconsistency, the pressure now turns into whether or not that potential can turn into true production.

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

Add us as a preferred source on Google