The Charlotte Hornets' bout against the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday may have been their last chance to secure a 20-win season because their final two contests of the regular season will come versus the Boston Celtics on the road. However, with the Celtics having already wrapped up the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference and the Hornets assured of the highest odds to win the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes, Charlotte might steal a dub or two in the coming days.
If it ends the 2024-25 campaign with two more losses, though, it would be the franchise's worst showing since the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season when it went 7-59.
On the other hand, the Hornets probably aren't worried about the regular-season record that much, as their focus is already on looking for ways to improve the roster despite the offseason being a couple of months away. The past games have also been a prime opportunity for the organization to evaluate its players, and a lot of attention has assumably been paid to rookie Tidjane Salaun.
Tidjane Salaun has not lived up to the hype that comes with being a high draft pick
The Hornets turned a lot of heads when they used their No. 6 pick in last year's draft on a raw prospect. I can't remember any draft boards having Salaun that high. So, they could have probably traded down, got a few more assets in return, and still selected him if they were really bent on adding him.
As a silver lining, Charlotte brought in a player who didn't have to feel any pressure to contribute right away and who could develop at his own pace. Months later, though, Hornets fans have yet to see significant improvement from the 19-year-old rookie.
A sense of optimism fell on Hornets fans in March after watching the young forward average 7.5 points per contest on 49.0 percent shooting from the field and 40.0 percent shooting from 3-point land. While his five appearances this April have seen him raise his scoring average to 9.6 points per match, his efficiency (34.8 percent from the field and 25.9 percent from long range) has regressed to the mean.
Of course, there have been some positives, including Salaun being more active on the boards, showing more confidence in handling the ball, and continuing to display the motor and energy he has exhibited in the earlier goings of the campaign. It just hasn't reflected that much in his performance, as he has failed to log a single steal or block and has registered one of the worst defensive ratings on the team this month.
Maybe Salaun will reward the Hornets and their fans' patience by coming out of the 2025 offseason with a much more refined game. But it's tough to envision what kind of player he is going to be, given his lackluster production on both ends of the floor. He certainly has a lot of work to do to make sure the team won't continue to regret choosing him over other prospects drafted after him who have turned out to be better, including Donovan Clingan, Zach Edey, Matas Buzelis, Bub Carrington, Kel'el Ware, Jared McCain, Yves Missi, and Jaylen Wells.