Charlotte Hornets Rookie Fills Stat Sheet In Loss to 76ers

The Charlotte Hornets have seen an up and down season go off the rails this week, after losing to the Wizards and 76ers in back to back games to poke holes in their play-in hopes. Tidjane Salaun filled up the stat sheet in their recent loss, which could be a good sign.

Dec 3, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Tidjane Salaun (31) reacts after scoring during the second half against the Philadelphia 76ers at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images / Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images

The Charlotte Hornets have seen an up and down season, leading them to the No. 13 seed out East with a 7-21 record. At the start of the season, this looked like a Hornets team bound to break its drought and make the NBA postseason with a fun young core - at least willing them to the play-in tournament spearheaded by LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller and even Tre Mann who are all now sidelined with injuries.

The Hornets started out as one of the most fun teams to watch in the NBA, racing up and down the floor with some massive offensive performances before fading with youngsters in and out of the rotation throughout the year.

Though, one of the Hornets young core members, Tidjane Salaun, has been able to log 25 games, including eight starts, while playing 19 minutes per game. In that span, Salaun is averaging five points, four rebounds, an assist and nearly a stock per game.

Lately, Salaun has stuffed the stat sheet, including in the Hornets 106-98 loss on Friday. The rookie posted eight points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals.

In that game, the rookie swingman shot 3-for-8 from the floor and 2-for-5 from 3. The Hornets newbie has to up his physicality driving to the rim in order to finish at a higher clip and being along his offensive game.

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