Grading Charlotte Hornets rookie Tidjane Salaün's first NBA start

Taking a look at the 19-year-old's first NBA start versus New York.

Austin Leake | Oct 16, 2024

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Charlotte Hornets

On Tuesday, Tidjane Salaün made his first-ever NBA start for the Hornets versus the New York Knicks.

Salaün had come off the bench and produced solid results prior to being added to the starting lineup. Although it may be preseason, it should be a pretty solid indicator that Salaün will be in store for at least rotation minutes off the bench this season which is approaching quickly.

In his previous three games, Salaün achieved double figures in points, while also having more than two three-pointers in each game, which is very impressive for his size. It seems that his shot isn't a fluke, but a reality that Hornets fans should get accustomed to. Let's take a look at his overall game from Tuesday night.

Statline

PTS	REB	AST	TO	FG	3PT	MIN
13	8	0	3	5-13	3-7	37

Consistent Shooting

Salaün has been impressively consistent when shooting the ball from deep. He had 10 three-pointers in his first three games and added another three triples to his total on Tuesday night. He started the game 3-4 from three but finished 3-7 from range, which is still a decent percentage for the rookie.

Salaün's shooting has been one of the key factors to why he has been receiving consistent playing time, while gaining the trust of head coach Charles Lee. The 19-year-old rookie is shooting 43.3% from three on 7.5 attempts. Not only are the volume of his shots impressive, but also the consistency and confidence he has in shooting the ball.

Rookie Mistakes?

Although Salaün had a really solid game, he still showed some signs of his expected rookie mistakes. There were a couple of instances where he went for a gamble on the defense end and let his defender score on him. Also, he had back-to-back plays where he missed a wide-open transition lob and the following play he dropped his teammates' pass resulting in a turnover.

Another area where Salaün has notably struggled is bringing the ball up the floor. That's one part of his game where the Hornets would love to see improvement early on in his career because it would really advance and expand his game, almost making him unpredictable. He is confident in his three-point shot, which is a positive, but he can't fall too much in love with that shot because it will result in him becoming predictable and dependent on that shot to have an impact. These are all areas where I see Salaün improving soon, as he already seems to be a quick learner.

Biggest Surprise?

Undoubtedly the biggest surprise from his game was not really his performance, but the amount of minutes that he played. 37 minutes in any game is a lot, but in a preseason game, that's almost unheard of. However, I believe it's perfect for Salaün and really smart from Coach Lee, as it gets him the most possible experience he can before the regular season begins.

For a 19-year-old rookie, having the opportunity to start with LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, along with being able to learn from your mistakes, without the fear of being benched or being on a leash is important. I believe having that trust between player and coach is vital to have in his rookie season, as he builds confidence in himself and his abilities on the basketball court.

Grade: B+

Overall, I'd give Salaün a B+ grade because he played pretty solid for his first-ever start and competed on the defensive end. I was impressed with his aggressiveness on the boards as he accumulated eight rebounds, just two shy of a double-double. As well, Salaün's confidence is still just mesmerizing to watch as he isn't afraid of anything in front of him.

He gets a little bit of a lower grade due to the little miscues that he had throughout the game, but he didn't seem to let that bother him as he nailed this contested floater to tie the game late in the fourth quarter.

5th overall pick Tidjane Salaun ties it up with the tough floater!

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