Comparing Tidjane Salaün's start to Hornets 2024 NBA Draft targets Castle, Knecht, and Clingan

Matt Alquiza | 4 Hours Ago

Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Eyebrows all over the Queen City shot up like groundhogs when the Charlotte Hornets drafted Tidjane Salaün with the sixth overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Salaün, an unheralded draft prospect from France, was a bit of a mystery on draft night, especially compared to his fellow countrymen Zaccharie Risacher and Alexandre Sarr.

The shock of drafting Salaün has dissipated for much of the fanbase due to his early effectiveness. The rookie has acquitted himself well in spot starts, playing a much larger role than Jeff Peterson and Charles Lee probably imagined on draft night, .

However, like the girl they once kissed on the playground in middle school that grew up to be a model, basketball fans will always rue the one that got away on draft night. Charlotte was linked with three players specifically, Stephon Castle, Dalton Knecht, and Donovan Clingan, that ended up elsewhere this July. Lets compare their early season statistics to Tidjane Salaün's as a close-to-one-month check-in on their young careers.

Statistical outputs for Castle, Clingan, Knecht, and Salaün

	Minutes	Points	Rebounds	Assists	Blocks	Steals	FG%	3pt %
Stephon Castle	23.6	8.7	2.5	3.0	0.4	0.8	38%	23.1%
Donovan Clingan	15.8	5.7	5.5	0.2	2.1	0.4	53.7%	20.0%
Dalton Knecht	18.2	7.3	1.8	1.3	0.0	0.4	44.6%	37.2%
Tidjane Salaün	17.2	3.0	4.0	1.0	0.0	0.3	25.0%	22.2%

A three week check-in on Salaün's game

A statistical comparison this early was never going to look good for Salaün. He's not "three years away from being three years away" like famed draft selection Bruno Caboclo, but he's a developmental piece, which is abundantly clear when the rookie is on the floor. On a positive note, the strengths in his game are blatantly obvious.

Salaün's shooting touch has escaped him in the early goings of the regular season, but he was a flamethrower in the preseason. If he can find his touch from deep again, the statistical differences between him and other rookies will vanish quickly.

He also moves like a gazelle (in a positive way). Salaün's gangly frame can get up and down the floor in a flash, and when the NBA game slows down for him, the Frenchman will be an absolute weapon for LaMelo Ball to find in transition. His athletic skills translate to the defensive end, as he's been able to go toe-to-toe with both smaller players that require agility to defend, and larger players that require strength and physicality.

Unfortunately the current flaws for Salaün are equally as obvious. He struggles to create offense with the ball in his hands, which was always on the menu for the raw prospect. Transition possessions that end up with the ball in Tidjane's hands are always a roller coaster, but one that somehow points downward for 75% of it. Which is okay! He can't legally drink in this country yet, his best basketball is undoubtedly ahead of him, and yet, the flashes of improvement are already visible for those watching closely.

Castle, Clingan, and Knecht's early season impact

Stephon Castle

These other three prospects were significantly more pro-ready than Salaün and they've shown it. Castle is playing big-time minutes alongside Victor Wembanyama and Chris Paul, flying up and down the court like a whirling dervish, impacting the game with winning basketball plays on both ends of the floor. Castle's two-way ability is an ideal fit with the Spurs vaunted culture, and early returns on his game are wonderful for Gregg Popovich (get well soon, Pop) and his staff.

Dalton Knecht

Knecht was dropped into an ideal situation that was hand-crafted to fit his game perfectly. This author argued in July that the Tennessee Volunteer wing's most ideal role early in his career was as a sixth man that could fill it up against opposing bench units, and he's doing just that the the Los Angeles Lakers. The best game of Knecht's early season run was on Wednesday night when he dropped 19 points on the Memphis Grizzlies vaunted defense, earning the praise of LeBron James post-game.

“We leaned on Dalton Knecht," said James in an interview with ESPN after the game. "That is what we did. (Anthony Davis) got in foul trouble and our first-round pick hit a hot streak. He looked like he was back at Tennessee. We leaned on him and I just tried to sprinkle in a couple plays here and there.”

Donovan Clingan

Hornets fans are going to look back at the 2024 NBA Draft and see Donovan Clingan as their white whale. The University of Connecticut product would be exactly what the doctor has ordered for a Charlotte squad struggling with injuries to their front line. The hulking big man is coming off the best game of his career, a 17 point, 12 rebounds, eight block performance against the Minnesota Timberwolves that at times looked like a King Kong vs. Godzilla spoof with Clingan going blow-for-blow with Rudy Gobert.

Patience is key with Salaün

Seeing other rookies thrive while Salaün requires patience is tough for those that want Charlotte to compete right now. A wise philosopher once spelled out Hornets fans next step clearly: R-E-L-A-X.

The NBA season is still in its infancy. The careers of those selected in the 2024 NBA Draft will not be defined by three weeks of basketball. The Charlotte Hornets are in the process of building a long-term contender in Buzz City, and that's not going to happen overnight. If Salaün is still struggling in years two and three when Peterson and Lee being to go all-out to bring a title to Charlotte? That will be panic-inducing. For now? Enjoy the ride. Pick out small improvements from Salaün nightly, and invest in the development of his game. That is what the Hornets are doing, and it's what you should do too.

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