The Charlotte Hornets made sure to continue a streak on Wednesday. By defeating the Houston Rockets, they extended their opening night win streak to four.
For a moment, it looked like the Hornets would lose to the host, as they appeared to struggle with their rotation in the first quarter and fell behind by 18 points in the second period.
Charlotte rallied behind LaMelo Ball, whose much-awaited return to the NBA floor saw him record 34 points and 11 assists. Two more rebounds, and he would have had a triple-double. Helping the Hornets star was Tre Mann, who scored 24 on 8-16 shooting.
Tidjane Salaun should have been inserted into the rotation but wasn't
A player some fans may have been waiting to be subbed in versus Houston was Tidjane Salaun.
Upon getting drafted last summer, the rookie actually wasn't expected to be an immediate contributor, as he had looked every bit like a raw project. Months later, at training camp, Hornets coach Charles Lee noticed his promising potential, although he noted the need for Salaun to channel his energy properly.
Come preseason, the 19-year-old forward caught folks by surprise by showing he was ready to earn a rotation spot, thanks to a string of impressive performances. Aside from his verve, he also showcased an improved outside shot and his positional versatility.
For those reasons, he probably could have seen some playing time against the Rockets, but that didn't turn out to be the case.
Lee needed just around 14 minutes of game time to dig deep into his reserves, having used 10 different guys near the start of the second quarter. A couple of possible reasons he had to use more rotation pieces than expected were that Nick Richards got into foul trouble and Brandon Miller had dealt with hip soreness that caused him to exit the contest after just 11 minutes of action.
Unfortunately for Salaun, he wasn't a part of the 10-man rotation when the strengths he displayed in preseason could have been beneficial for Charlotte. Bringing him in could have addressed the Hornets' lack of energy and efficient outside shooting in the first half.
Yet, Lee may be of the belief that the rookie is not ready for the big league. Not even the shortage of healthy bodies at the frontcourt was enough for Salaun to hear his number called.
Fans who are hoping for Lee to change his mind about not playing Salaun may be left with disappointment because the eventual recovery of starters Mark Williams and Josh Green would result in even fewer chances for the French youngster to get onto the floor.