Tidjane Salaün Wants to Put More Pressure on Rim as Hornets See Growth

Tidjane Salaün said Monday that once his rhythm comes back, he can dunk on someone at least once a game.

The Charlotte Hornets practiced a day after beating the Milwaukee Bucks 105-90 at Spectrum Center, where Salaün played in his second preseason game.

Charlotte faces an Oct. 31 deadline on his $10.4 million team option for 2027-28. The Hornets picked up his 2026-27 option last October.

He was the sixth overall pick in 2024 out of Cholet in France, and he turned 21 in August. As a rookie, he averaged 5.9 points and 4.7 rebounds in 60 games, with 10 starts. Last season, Salaün split time between Charlotte and the G League's Greensboro Swarm.

He played a team-high 28 minutes when the Brooklyn Nets beat Charlotte 124-90 in the preseason opener.

Salaün feels better defensively by the day. Rhythm is what he is still chasing after two preseason games, his first time in an arena in a while.

"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."

"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."

Hornets coach Charles Lee said Salaün took the right shots Sunday.

"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."

"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."

"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."

His older sister, Janelle Salaün, was unanimously named the 2026 WNBA Sixth Player of the Year on Oct. 4. She received all 74 votes and became the first Golden State Valkyries player to win the award.

Janelle averaged 12.7 points in 40 games, all off the bench. Her 509 points and 93 3-pointers set league single-season records for a reserve. Last month, she averaged 11.2 points 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. Tip-off is 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC.

Golden State won all three regular-season meetings with Atlanta, taking two at Chase Center in June before winning 88-83 on the road on July 4.

All Salaün wants this season is to win. His sister is four wins from a title.

"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."

Charlotte acquired Naz Reid from the Minnesota Timberwolves in June, and Lee has called him a joy to work with. Reid scored 16 points Sunday.

Salaün and Reid have been putting in 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."

Charlotte's next game is Wednesday night at TD Garden against the Boston Celtics.