Tidjane Salaün injury: How it impacts the Charlotte Hornets' front court rotation

Projecting Charlotte's front court as they deal with another injury.

Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The Charlotte Hornets can not catch a break.

The entirety of the 2024-25 season has felt like Charlotte taking one step forward and two steps back on the injury front. The latest step back, a Tidjane Salaün ankle injury, is another blow to the Hornets' front court that has withstood a myriad of ailments through a month and a half of basketball.

With starting power forward Miles Bridges on the mend, Salaün has slid into a starting role and performed well above his station. The rookie Frenchman has rapidly improved in recent outings with his high water mark coming in Tuesday night's close loss to the Philadelphia 76ers as he racked up a 10 point, 10 rebound double double in 26 minutes of action.

Salaün's statistical impact isn't eye-popping (five points, four rebounds, 32% field goal, 29% from deep), but it's clear that he's ahead of schedule. The Hornets drafted the gangly hooper with a long-term, developmental mindset, but his flashes of talent in just a few weeks of play have folks dreaming of a bright future.

Charles Lee has become adept at mixing and matching players in the lineup as key rotational pieces come in and out, and Salaün's projected absence will create another puzzle for Lee to put together in the coming days and weeks.

How Charlotte can mitigate Salaün's absence

The easiest way for Charlotte to replace (and likely double) Tidjane's statistical two-way impact is by getting Miles Bridges back into the lineup. The veteran 20-point-per-game scorer is working through his return to play plan, and his imminent return to the lineup will give Charlotte a boost in their front court.

Aside from getting Bridges back, Charles Lee is going be forced into playing more small ball. Cody Martin and Josh Green have played up and down the Hornets lineup, and as things stand, those two are going to get comfortable banging with opposing power forwards in the paint.

Lastly, Charlotte was thrown a lifeline by the NBA when they were granted a Disabled Player Exception. The team has been given a $6.5 million contract slot to spend on a free agent, and if Jeff Peterson and company plan to use it, it's safe to bet on a versatile forward being the archetype they key in on. If that scenario plays out a player would need to be cut for Charlotte's roster to fit within league regulations.

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