South Charlotte Today

Jeff Peterson, the Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations for the Charlotte Hornets, made his first significant draft pick on Wednesday night by selecting Tidjane Salaün with the sixth overall pick. The 18-year-old French forward played last season for Cholet Basket in France’s LNB Pro A League, where he averaged 9.7 points on 40.6% shooting, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.1 steals in 23.4 minutes over 54 games.

Salaün also earned the title of Best Young Player at the 2024 FIBA Champions League and represented France at the 2023 Under-18 European Championships. “I’m a stretch four and can also play small forward,” said Salaün in an interview with Hornets.com. “My strengths are shooting 3-pointers, shooting in transition quickly and I run the floor very fast.”

Peterson expressed confidence in Salaün's potential: “Tidjane is the guy who we had organizational alignment and conviction in from the very beginning... Every single play, he’s an urgent competitor.” He added that Salaün's defensive skills would likely translate sooner to NBA play.

In his past season with Cholet Basket, Salaün had a three-point efficiency of 31.6% (75-of-237) and ranked third among power forwards in attempts per game (4.5). Despite fluctuations in performance due to heightened competition, he showed promise by converting 74.8% of his free-throw attempts.

Salaün's physical attributes were highlighted at the recent adidas Eurocamp in Trevino, Italy: standing nearly 6’9” without shoes with a wingspan of over seven feet.

Peterson noted that despite being a late bloomer compared to other French prospects, Salaün has developed rapidly since joining Cholet Basket and impressed during pre-draft evaluations.

Kevin O’Connor from The Ringer described him as having "the raw qualities to potentially become a versatile two-way star," while Sam Vecenie from The Athletic praised his fluidity and balance for his size.

Salaün acknowledged some familiarity with the Hornets' organization due to its history with French players like Tony Parker and Boris Diaw. He also mentioned LaMelo Ball as a player he admires within the team.

European players often bring strong fundamentals to their NBA careers, which Peterson believes will benefit Salaün: “[French players] take pride in sharing the basketball... There’s plenty of possessions where Tidjane makes the extra pass.”

Despite acknowledging that there will be an adjustment period for Salaün both on and off the court, Peterson remains optimistic about his future contributions to the team: “I think he’s just scratching the surface... He doesn’t want to do anything else but play basketball.”