The Charlotte Hornets went into their game versus the Brooklyn Nets missing several healthy bodies. They probably could have used Tidjane Salaun, especially because their bench only had Taj Gibson as the lone frontcourt player.
Yet, the rookie remained with the Greensboro Swarm, the Hornets' G League affiliate. He probably wouldn't have made that much of a difference in Charlotte's 104-83 loss. Still, it would have been an opportunity for him to show whether he has improved enough after a brief time in the developmental league.
The fact that the organization has decided to keep Salaun stashed with the Swarm despite being ravaged by injuries might mean that it has yet to be impressed by his development.
Tidjane Salaun's inexperience has been evident even in the G League
At the start of the regular season, Charlotte opted not to put Salaun on the floor, causing some concern among the team's fans about its plan with the rookie.
He eventually cracked the rotation in just the third contest of the season, making 20 straight appearances. However, the evaluation that the 19-year-old prospect is just too raw for the NBA proved to be accurate. He did show some potential and energy on both ends of the court but has mostly looked lost on the court. Nevertheless, he has ended up recording 4.7 points and 4.1 rebounds per match on a shooting split of 32-28-68.
It was the right decision to have Salaun earn his stripes in the G League and prove first whether he can be a contributor for the Hornets.
Unfortunately, it seems like he needs more time with the Swarm, as his numbers haven't looked too promising. Through four matches, Salaun has averaged 13.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game while shooting 39.3 percent from the field and 25.9 percent from beyond the arc. Perhaps the most concerning of his performance is that he has converted just 42.9 percent of his free-throw attempts.
Putting the 19-year-old's ability to crash the glass aside, his production has looked similar to that of Bronny James, who has been accused of being in the NBA only because of his familial ties and was selected near the end of the second round of the 2024 draft.
Only time will tell if Salaun will receive a call-up in the coming weeks. In the meantime, the hope is that he can adjust to the speed of the NBA game and one day turn out to at least be a serviceable rotation player for the Hornets. Otherwise, he will become an entry in the franchise's worst draft decisions of all time.