What Hornets’ head coach wants from first-round pick in final stretch of rookie year
Charlotte Hornets first-round pick Tidjane Salaün is getting a crash course on the NBA game as a rookie. And with just 19 games left in his initial NBA season, the Paris, France, native is showing progress that head coach Charles Lee can appreciate.
But, as with any developing player, Lee is hoping Salaün finds a consistent rhythm to his play during the final stretch of Year 1. Lee cited Friday’s 118-117 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers as an example of the ups and downs Salaün has faced.
“I think he’s done a great job of progressing throughout the whole year,” Lee said Saturday before tip-off of the team’s 105-102 win over the Brooklyn Nets at Spectrum Center.
“He’s had his ups and downs, but through it all, he continues to just show great flashes. Even last night, little bit of a slow start. I took him out at one point because I felt like he had two defensive possessions where he just let the ball get downhill way too easily with no resistance. The next time I put him in, I told him the importance of it starting there (on defense), not with the offense. He did a great job, and the offense kind of followed. He was in a really good space.
“I look forward to just more consistency from him. The kid works extremely hard, the care factor is there. He’s going to continue to get better. I know it.”
Salaün, who is still just 19, was the sixth overall pick in last June’s NBA Draft.
Through the first 48 games (with eight starts) of his career, he’s averaged 5.3 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. But his inconsistency has shown in his field-goal percentage, as the 6-foot-8, 207-pound forward has shot 31.3% from the floor.
While he’s still very young and arguably a project player — his teammate Taj Gibson is a full 20 years older than him — the shooting percentage needs to get better. To his credit, though, Salaün made 7 of his 10 shots (70%) in the three games prior to Saturday’s win.
He went 3 of 8 (37.5%) from the field against the Nets, scoring nine points, while posting three rebounds and two assists. He also had a notable steal which led to a fast-break layup by forward Miles Bridges during a successful comeback attack for Charlotte (15-48).
It’s all a part of the learning peaks and valleys for Salaün, who is trying to transition from the international game to the NBA.
That transition isn’t easy, and Lee understands there are notable differences in play at this level, particularly the speed of the game.
“There’s a lot of things — but I would say the first thing would just be the style of play,” Lee said. “I do think that we tend to play with a little more pace here. I think the game overseas is very physical, very creative — a lot of, like, creative offensive sets and movement and stuff. So that part, he’s able to kind of come in and have a good basketball IQ.
“But definitely the speed of the game (is different), even the spacing of the game, because of the lane line and three-point line, it changes a little. So, he’s done a great job of adjusting so far.”
Moussa Diabate and the art of the put-back
With 1 minute, 36 seconds left in a one-point game Saturday, guard Nick Smith bricked a floating jump shot off the side of the hoop. But there was forward Moussa Diabate, in the right place, at the right time, to collect his 10th and final offensive rebound of the game.
He saved his best for last, too, as he went back up with the ball to put in a lead-changing layup in a blink.
The put-back put the Hornets up 103-102 with 1:34 left in the game. The Charlotte crowd, in turn, erupted with cheers like the then-14-win Hornets were competing for a playoff spot with 20 games remaining on the schedule.
“It’s great — it’s amazing,” Diabate said about the crowd following the win. “It’s nice to have the crowd behind you, and the whole floor is into the game, and just the whole momentum that comes with it. It’s great.”
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The Hornets didn’t trail for the rest of the evening nad locked up their 15th win of the campaign.
“We’ve been preaching it for the whole season, but really the last few weeks – just emphasis on playing together,” said Diabate, who finished with 16 points and 15 rebounds. “It’s been a big memo the last two, three weeks where we’re talking about how we’re not playing together enough or we’re not sharing the ball or not having fun with each other. Obviously, now the last two games we see it. We understand what it takes for sure.”
A 12-0 run to end the night was felt by the crowd, and the Hornets themselves.
Bridges, who finished with 26 points and 12 rebounds, scored threes points, blocked a shot and produced four rebounds in the final 2:45 of the victory.
Lee, though, emphasized the importance of second-chance shots in a victory where the Hornets trailed by double digits for the majority of the night.
“To be down at halftime by 15, I thought the group just stuck with it,” Lee said. “Not shooting a great percentage, I think we made two 3s (11%) or something like that. It would be easy to just be like, ‘Oh, it’s a back-to-back and we just don’t have it tonight.’ The group continued to stay with it though, encouraging one another, (guard Damion Baugh) huddling up the group in crucial moments to just get us on the same page.
“They all made the most of their opportunity and then you would highlight when it comes to second-chance points: Moussa. And then Josh Green is flying in there for a couple and coming up with some big ones, so I’m just really proud of their effort.”
Ball, Miller sit in second game of home back-to-back
Prior to Saturday’s victory over the Nets, the Hornets announced that guard LaMelo Ball (right ankle, injury management), forward Brandon Miller (right wrist) center Mark Williams (right wrist), forward Grant Williams (right ACL), guard Tre Mann (disc), and guard Josh Okogie (left hamstring) were out due to injury.
Center Jusuf Nurkic was listed as doubtful with neck soreness entering the second of back-to-back home games this weekend. He did not end up playing in Saturday’s win.
This story was originally published March 8, 2025 at 5:40 PM with the headline "What Hornets’ head coach wants from first-round pick in final stretch of rookie year."
