The Charlotte Hornets have set their sights on the future. They drafted French forward Tidjane Salaun with the No. 6 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft and Colorado point guard KJ Simpson with the No. 42 pick.
Both players, but Salaun, in particular, should be a huge part of the Hornets' future as they look to build around LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and Mark Williams.
Hornets rookies Tidjane Salaun and KJ Simpson dealing with injuries ahead of Summer League
However, the Hornets just suffered a brutal blow of bad luck ahead of Summer League, and it has to do with both of their incoming rookies. According to the team’s official PR account on Twitter, both Salaun and Simpson are dealing with injuries ahead of Summer League.
UPDATE: Simpson suffered a hamstring injury during the pre-draft process and he will continue his rehabilitation with the Hornets medical staff. Simpson will miss all of Summer League but is expected to be fully recovered & available at the start of training camp this fall (2/2) https://t.co/ReYmxfvli2
— Charlotte Hornets PR (@HornetsPR) July 1, 2024
For Salaun, the problem is a “minor laceration near his knee.” Luckily for the Frenchman and the Hornets, Salaun is still projected to be available for the start of Summer League.
Simpson, on the other hand, isn’t quite as lucky. The point guard “suffered a hamstring injury” during his pre-draft workouts process and will miss all of Summer League.
This is a giant blow, as Simpson would have had a chance to show off his skill set for the Hornets, which could have helped determine what type of role he could play in his rookie season.
Salaun is going to be a big part of whatever the Hornets are doing moving forward. They took him with the sixth pick for a reason. Charlotte believes in him.
But for Simpson, Summer League was far more important. For Salaun, it would have been a chance to get comfortable, but for Simpson, it would have been his chance to earn a place in Charlotte.
Second-round picks don’t always get a ton of opportunities. Especially not as much as a top-10 pick will receive. Simpson needs to show out at every turn, and this injury is a tough set-back for the youngster.
That said, Charlotte drafted both of these guys for a reason. They seem something in each of them that they believe in, and an injury issue isn’t going to change that.
Plus, if Simpson suffered the injury before the draft, it’s likely that the Hornets knew about it in some capacity, so it’s probably not a huge deal.
Hearing that both rookies Charlotte just drafted are injured is just tough news, though. Especially right before Summer League.