The Charlotte Hornets have spent the offseason drawing plenty of attention, and most of it has centered on the sheer volume of options they suddenly have in the frontcourt. The roster now has a crowded mix of bigs and versatile forwards, enough that minutes are going to be a real battle.
Hannes Steinbach, Moussa Diabate, Ryan Kalkbrenner, Naz Reid, and Grant Williams could all reasonably log more than 20 minutes a night. Royce O'Neale and Dorian Finney-Smith can also push for time at the four. That kind of depth is hard to miss.
But the player who could end up changing the conversation is Tidjane Salaun.
Salaun’s rookie season was rough, no way around it. He was always viewed as a G League developmental project, but injuries pushed him into NBA minutes before he was ready. In his second year, he spent a lot more time in the G League, and that setup clearly suited him better.
The box-score numbers still don’t jump off the page, especially for a No. 6 overall pick. Even so, the deeper numbers tell a much more encouraging story. In limited action, he looked quietly effective.
His net rating swung from -11.9 in 2024-25 to 2.1 in 2025-26, a major leap. His offensive rating climbed to 113.2, which ranked ahead of players like Ryan Kalkbrenner and Collin Sexton. That’s not just progress - that’s real traction.
The biggest sign of growth may have come in his efficiency. Salaun improved his true shooting from 45.7% in 2024-25 to 62.9% last season. That first number was historically bad; the second is solid even before you consider the size of the jump.
His assist numbers were the one area that didn’t move forward, but nearly everything else did. If he keeps trending this way, he can force his way into the rotation and become part of the Hornets’ long-term picture.
Right now, he isn’t being counted on for a big role, partly because of his own uneven play and partly because Charlotte has so many bodies in the frontcourt. But if this development sticks, Salaun could wind up reshaping expectations for the Hornets both now and down the road.