Tidjane Salaün is starting to see the game slow down a little, and that’s opening the door for a more aggressive version of himself.
After two preseason games, the Hornets forward says the defense feels more natural by the day. What he’s still chasing is rhythm - the kind that lets him turn good possessions into loud ones.
Once that comes back, Salaün thinks the rim pressure will follow.
“I’m completely engaged on what they asked me to do about defense, rebound,” Salaün said. “Defense is the main part, that’s with my abilities, that’s where I can have the most success in this team.
And then it’s just about play with my strengths, about shoot, about passing the ball, make good screen, running, and with all the new [abilities] I had during the summer, I’m gonna have a better, I would say, a better... Oh, what can I say?
Now, put some pressure on the rim.”
He was even more direct when talking about his finishing at the basket.
“Just got to find a way, just like the practice, to put the pressure on the rim and just dunk on someone,” Salaün continued. “I think I can get at least, if I have my rhythm, I can get at least one per game.”
Charlotte practiced Monday, one day after beating the Milwaukee Bucks 105-90 at Spectrum Center. Salaün logged his second preseason game in that win, after playing a team-high 28 minutes in Charlotte’s 124-90 preseason opener loss to the Brooklyn Nets.
The 21-year-old, selected sixth overall in 2024 out of Cholet in France, is trying to settle in after a rookie season that included 5.9 points and 4.7 rebounds in 60 games with 10 starts. Last season, he split time between Charlotte and the G League’s Greensboro Swarm.
Charles Lee said the growth is showing up in ways that go beyond the stat sheet.
“I think you’re spot on in terms of, like, you could feel his impact,” Lee said. “You could feel him in the game, whether he’s making shots or missing shots.
I thought that he took the right shots. I thought that he helped our offense actually flow a lot better.”
Lee pointed to the small plays that keep an offense moving.
“His after actions, he had a couple hit unders and then played in the seam and had a great kick out to somebody, and they missed a three,” Lee added. “And he also had a slip that I think all of a sudden put two people on the ball and then created a lob opportunity for Liam to Ryan. And so I think that he’s really starting to realize how he can impact the offensive game without even having to score all the time.”
The defensive side has impressed Lee, too.
“And then defensively, I think his continued physicality and strength, and he’s moving really good laterally, he’s affecting the defensive side of the floor,” Lee detailed. “He had a great slice-out closeout yesterday that forced a missed high-quadrant three. So I’ve been really impressed with Tidjane’s growth.”
Salaün’s own confidence is being reinforced from home as well. His older sister, Janelle Salaün, was unanimously named the 2026 WNBA Sixth Player of the Year on Oct. 4 after receiving all 74 votes, becoming the first Golden State Valkyries player to win the award.
Janelle averaged 12.7 points in 40 games, all off the bench, and her 509 points and 93 3-pointers were league single-season records for a reserve. She also averaged 11.2 points last month for France, which won silver at the FIBA Women’s World Cup in Germany.
Golden State finished 32-12 as the No. 2 seed and swept the Las Vegas Aces 3-0 in the semifinals. The Valkyries, in their second season, host the Atlanta Dream in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals on Saturday at Chase Center, with tip-off at 3:30 p.m.
ET on NBC. Golden State won all three regular-season meetings with Atlanta, including two in San Francisco and an 88-83 road win on July 4.
For Tidjane Salaün, the lesson is simple: keep growing, keep working, and keep winning. His sister is four victories from a title, and he says watching her has become a source of motivation.
“It’s always great to see my sister play, even more when she’s in America, because for the time it’s better for me to watch compared to when it’s in Europe,” Salaün explained. “And the fact to see her have success with her team now to be in the final, it’s even better, and that inspired me a lot, and even more with her role during this season.”
“She had the Sixth Woman of the Year,” Salaün noted. “So it’s very cool, but it also inspired me of how I can translate what she’s doing with her team, with me, with my team.”
Salaün also has another veteran pushing him in the right direction. Charlotte acquired Naz Reid from the Minnesota Timberwolves in June, and Lee has praised him as a joy to work with. Reid scored 16 points Sunday, and the two have been adding extra work together.
“I had a few talks with Naz, just cool to see him out there during the games,” Salaün said. “But also, when we do some extra work, me and Naz, it’s always good to see someone with this type of character, which want more, want to work. It’s not every vet, every guy who come at night and to see someone like Naz.”
“I know who he is, he’s a great player, but he’s also angry and he wants to prove and to be - teammate with him is very cool,” Salaün continued. “I’m trying to learn from him, and all the extra work we share together, I’m trying to just take it as an experience for me on my future.”
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