TIDJANE SALAUN SCOUTING REPORT | 2024 NBA Draft | Charlotte Hornets | France

France and new #CharlotteHornets forward Tidjane Salaun is seeing his #NBADraft stock skyrocket as we inch closer to the end of June. How far off is the Cholet forward from contributing to an #NBA team?
Make sure to leave a COMMENT… and, if you enjoyed the video, LEAVE A LIKE and SUBSCRIBE! FOLLOW ME on Twitter @wilkomcv and TikTok @floornceiling for more content!
Contact: [e-mail]
TikTok: / floornceiling
///
Credit:
- "Benz" - Yung Kartz
- "Warzone" - Anno Domini Beats
- SKWeek
- LNB Pro A
- EuroCup
- FIBA
- France
///
Chapters:
00:00 Prospect overview
1:25 Three-point shooting
2:50 Off the catch
4:40 Cutting, finishing, and off-ball uses
6:15 Shooting improvements
7:25 Finishing improvements
8:20 Role discussion
9:50 Passing
11:38 Developing as a big
12:45 Defense
15:06 NBA Draft projection and Takeaway

[@pandabearr90]

like the fact that he dares to try so many different things, including moving around defenders.

[@FloorandCeiling]

Reminds me of GG Jackson from last year's draft in this sense. It doesn't always work out and his shot diet lacks efficiency, but Salaün is creative and skilled which are two qualities that cannot be overlooked.

[@Veggamattic]

2 years away from being 2 years away.

[@FloorandCeiling]

I'm more or less with you. I'd be shocked Salaun didn't spend year 1 almost entirely in the G League (although I guess this is situational to an extent depending on who drafts him) with some NBA reps very late in the season. Year 2 is where I'm hoping he starts showing tangible NBA flashes, but again, with little pressure. However, it's year 3 that will be huge for him. That's not unlike other prospects (Ousmane Dieng in OKC comes to mind given that his next season is his third), but Salaun will face higher expectations since he'll be a high pick this year.

[@felixayala05]

Upside: Davis Bertans.

[@saleemkirmani5583]

He should play one more year in France. I believe he is a far harder worker than Bruno Coboclo.

[@jneville23]

@@felixayala05I think he’s much more athletic than Bertans

[@oztenn]

Amazing analysis

[@FloorandCeiling]

Thanks!

[@outside3767]

Would love to see POP and the coaching staff work with this kid, I think he would pair up with Victor pretty nicely

[@FloorandCeiling]

I have Salaün mocked to the Spurs at 8 in my most recent mock draft video. Thanks for watching!

[@breeda9196]

If we can get Salaun and Castle I'll be happy. If we snag Risacher because a team sleeps. I'll be elated.

[@robertball147]

Thank you - as always - for your excellent analysis!

[@FloorandCeiling]

Thanks as always!

[@alvaromartinez-cachero1231]

The concept of the Draft has evolved in recent years. It has gone from being an exercise of finding that a certain player with certain characteristics fit a certain team to an exercise of prediction, to see if a player could fit a certain team. But this year there is a new twist in the concept of the Draft and it is no longer a matter of ascertaining or predicting, now it is more and more about guessing if what is intuited in a player can be useful for a team in several years. And that's where Salaun fits perfectly because in a few years he may very well be a very useful player for a team.

[@FloorandCeiling]

If teams never take risks in the draft, they will never win big. Salaün is a gamble, but it's worth taking. I buy into his mix of tools, flashes, creativity, athleticism, and improvement.

[@MatthewT28]

Tidjane Salaun has the tools to be a great player but he has to improve in a lot of areas. Hopefully he goes to a team that can be patient with his development.

[@Tain950]

Seems Wembanyama wants the Spurs to take this young man under their wing. Maybe the Spurs will take a chance on Tidjane at 8 🤷‍♂️

[@SuperYoungjb]

@@Tain950 that’s his best friend, and he’s probably protecting him to help with his transition into the NBA. But Wemby also knows he just started taking basketball seriously like year and half ago

[@FloorandCeiling]

Patience will be the name of the game with Salaün. He's still at least a couple of years away imo, but I'm betting on him to pan out.

[@FloorandCeiling]

@@Tain950 Of interest here: besides the fact that both guys are obviously French, Wembanyama has known Salaün and his family for a few years now. Their sisters played together on France's FIBA teams. They're also both represented by Comsport, which is the biggest French agency in basketball and also has guys like Bilal Coulibaly or Rayan Rupert.

[@denzelmartin6201]

He reminds me of Sekou Doumbouya. This can either go really good or bust. High-risk high reward scenario.

[@FloorandCeiling]

I have faith it’ll go well. I believe in Tidjane’s willingness to improve

[@licenciadobrubaker]

It sounds like a wild thing I'm going to say, but in my opinion he could be the #1 pick in this draft. Salaun has potential and tools that I don't see in anyone else this year, he's an Antetokounmpo 2.0. Of course he is very raw in some aspects: positioning, proper decision making, use of his body,... and on defense he is often a disaster. But if he trains hard and has a good work ethic (and it looks like he does) in 2 or 3 years he will be the best of this draft.

[@FloorandCeiling]

I'm not counting this out at all. I think Salaün has the chance to return amazing value. He's obviously incredibly green and the numbers do not look great for him, but Salaün is sort of a draft exercise that you need to watch over months, even years, to see his pattern of improvement, motor, and constantly interesting flashes. I think his biggest improvement area is almost going to be learning how to get the most from his athleticism and size. It's really obvious with his poor finishing especially, but also with his bad defense and meh rebounding. He's huge (maybe still growing), long, athletic, and mobile. However, his instincts and technique are still really far behind. That concept is teachable, but organizations really need to oversee Salaün's development super closely. In some ways, he's not that unlike GG Jackson from last year's draft. The numbers are bad (maybe even very bad) and the on-court product can be sloppy, but he is too interesting and creative (especially at that size) to dismiss. Plus, that's without mentioning that the pre-draft talk about Salaün's work ethic, etc. is receiving much higher praise.

[@mbwell]

@@FloorandCeilingAnd this is what makes the NBA GM the most dangerous job in America. Not only are their jobs on the hook, but the fan of these teams will be stuck in purgatory. 😂😂

[@iambarryallen]

He's so raw and so young.

[@FloorandCeiling]

Very much so, but that's also part of the pitch on Salaün.

[@wmbryant9]

If the Spurs take him at 8 , I think it wouldn't be a bad gamble. He's raw but has high potential.

[@FloorandCeiling]

That’s where I had him in my latest mock draft, so I’m with you. Thanks for watching!

[@justinbires6283]

He’s scary underdeveloped now that im watching this i feel if anyone drafts him top 10 they are gambling on his body type, work ethic, and that teams development staff. In todays NBA i feel like you need at least 2 NBA skills to justify playing time. Rather that’s defense/playmaking/finishing/rebounding/shooting/feel for the game/etc and im not sure if I see any of that even at an average rate at this time and thats a lot of areas to refine at the next level. I get a 6’10 aleksej pokusevski vibe truthfully.

[@FloorandCeiling]

I'll note that a huge advantage Salaün has over a guy like Poku is simply that his physical traits and frame give him a greater margin for error. Even when Salaun loses his handle or gets out of control on a drive, he can still kind of find his way to his spot or use his athleticism to make a play. His motor is also really good and the intel on him in France is excellent in terms of working hard, improving quickly, being a willing learner, etc. Off rip and like I mentioned in the video, I'd say his positional size+tools and motor are Salaun's standout traits. Like you said, though, that's not enough for long-term success. But given those things he has, the creativity he seems to possess, and how I've been really tracking him for about 2 years now and he has only kept improving, I'm buying Salaün.

[@andweback7759]

ive been burned by this archetype before. at some point, ive started to see growth as the natural newbie gains and we don't know if theyll ever actually contribute.

[@FloorandCeiling]

It's a valid question to wonder how far away Salaün is from being an NBA-ready contributor. That's what a lot of organizations will be asking themselves. However, I'm more than comfortable drafting Tidjane if I consider that my team is still years away from legitimately competing. There also needs to be a plan laid out in terms of development and reps. At the end of the day though, I'm not sure Salaün is that dissimilar to Ron Holland or GG Jackson last season. A big wing who's a creative and somewhat intuitive scorer, but who also has a tendency to play out of control, miss "easier" shots, and still needs tons of development despite a fast track record of growth.

[@CJ-wc5lb]

@@FloorandCeiling look l

[@noondoggxl]

i would as a coach teach him to definitely continue to follow through with his release on his shot, but that holding your hand in the air would have to go, i'd teach him to constantly follow his shot

[@FloorandCeiling]

Shot definitely needs some streamlining and adjustments, but I like his creativity and willingness already at 18

[@luigidabest4743]

he's probably has the 2nd highest upside behind sarr but it's gonna take a lot of work to reach his potential

[@FloorandCeiling]

I’m with you. Thanks for watching!

[@jameskou4034]

Coach pop will love this guy. If Spur really get him, I hope they trade for Magic's Isaac to be his mentor.

[@iambarryallen]

I think Spurs want a point guard to grow with Wemby tho

[@FloorandCeiling]

Thanks for watching! I mocked him at #8 to the Spurs in my latest mock draft video.

[@jameskou4034]

@@iambarryallen Thanks for your message!!! That's for sure. But they also need someone who can shoot from outside.

[@jameskou4034]

@@FloorandCeiling Thanks for your message!!! Your videos always impress me and make me think from different side.

[@KillaCreed42]

​@iambarryallen I could see them picking the best guard available at #4 (Castle?) and then picking him up at #8. I feel that's one of the best case scenarios if they choose to keep both picks. Which, I hope they do

[@Htiy]

Scouts werent lying when they said raw. But I like his physical traits

[@Kenny-bj2zq]

He is three years away form being ready

[@SuperYoungjb]

@@Kenny-bj2zq 3? You’re being generous. 5 years away. He literally picked up the sport a year and a half ago because his sister and best friends were becoming successful in it(Rayan Rupert and Wemby) .. but everyone from the French new generation claim his competitive drive and work ethic is generational compared to Bruno who was just happy to be there.

[@Justfranktbh]

@@SuperYoungjbwho’s Bruno

[@FloorandCeiling]

Super raw, but I buy the long term potential. I also think Salaun's rate of improvement is really impressive. He seems to get better every 2 or 3 months.

[@SuperYoungjb]

@@Justfranktbh Bruno Caboclo

[@falconhoward4032]

This is the kind of pick that either gets a GM fired or extended long term

[@FloorandCeiling]

In this draft, it might be less risky than in other years. Still, I'd feel good about picking Salaun high up. I think he'll develop well.

[@malikhagan4983]

he’s a basketball player but i don’t know if he’s a good one 😂 best way to describe him

[@FloorandCeiling]

Very fair

[@marcwilliams3692]

If the gamble works out whatever team gets him will be in a great postion. He may be one of those players who were underpaid because he wasn't hitting his stride until late into his rookie contract

[@FloorandCeiling]

Makes sense. Thanks for watching!

[@JunDetera2016]

He's 6'10" but prefers to shoot from the outside. Maybe he avoids physical contact? Is he a stretch 4? He seems injury-prone and might be considered soft. Despite his strong build, he takes a lot of threes, which is unusual. Plus, he's slow

[@FloorandCeiling]

Needs to play more physical and get more from his athletic tools still, but that can come in time. I don't see Salaün as a stretch four, but rather as a jumbo wing type. Kinda like GG Jackson this past year in Memphis.

[@ryanb7186]

He seems like more of a late first round pick to me, not a lottery guy--even for this draft class.

[@FloorandCeiling]

Thanks for watching. How come?

[@ryanb7186]

@@FloorandCeiling I don't like heavy project players in the lottery, whose only real positives are their size, age, and having only shown a few flashes of being competent players. I felt the same way when my team selected Ousmane Dieng at 11 a couple of years ago, but Dieng at least seemed to have a better handle and he played decent defense. I also think he was a better passer at this stage than Salaun is. It is a huge gamble to use a lottery pick on a player who isn't already pretty good at at least one translatable skill for the NBA.

[@mbwell]

Did he make French Olympic team? Speaking of which, the 2024 summer Olympics is going to be very intriguing because there seems to be an assumption the power shift has swung internationally. IMO, I still think team USA has an advantage especially in the women’s division.

[@jakobguzman3181]

Maybe by '28 France will start giving the US a run for their money, they're all still young and some even raw

[@FloorandCeiling]

He didn't make the French team, but he'll be there in the future. He's still so young - 18 while the Olympics are going on.

[@TheCrab90000]

Idk how to deacribe it other than, with players similar to him, they look uncomfortable and gangly in their builds. He, for starting late in a ball career, more or less looks and loves like a ball player who has an understanding of their body and how to move. Now the difficult part is improving the iq beyond instinct so that he knows more how to use it rather than move it, if that makes sense. I want him at 7 for the Blazers, as they have time, other prospects, and a team that can help maximize his development as is

[@FloorandCeiling]

Yeah, I totally agree with you. He moves really well, he's intuitive to an extent despite his inefficiency, and I think he's a creative problem solver. Thanks for watching!

[@asron1748]

Great content. I mean this only as constructive criticism - there are times when you get into a rhythm where you keep hitting the same tone/note with your voice and it's really distracting. example at 0:56 or 2:36

[@FloorandCeiling]

Appreciate the feedback. Thanks for watching!

[@tylermanning1600]

I see everyone saying he’s raw I think if you want him to be a creator then he’s but if he’s put in a spot where he’s a finisher to the similar likes of Derrick Jones Jr he could do that in a year could see Charlotte drafting him to be a 3&D PF could also could do what you guys said

[@FloorandCeiling]

This is an interesting perspective. I like the DJJ lower end outcome you brought up, because I've thought throughout this draft process that a safe-ish floor for Salaün could also be Obi Toppin (who plays a comparable role for the Pacers).

[@tylermanning1600]

⁠@@FloorandCeilingi think he’ll be better than Obi because was 2 years older than him by the time he actually gets nba coaching and hopefully it’s right I think he’ll be a high end role player he definitely needs coaching and a learning curve but we have seen players play well just playing a role their first couple of years

[@tylermanning1600]

@@FloorandCeilinglooking back I was right on the money dam I’m pretty good 😭😭

[@tylermanning1600]

@@FloorandCeiling would love to help with content that your doing in any way possible been watching for years the past two years now

[@jamesdonaldson7396]

Is his projection in the lottery just a symptom of how bad this draft is? He looks like such a project that I would expect a player like this to be taken in the 20s at best.

[@FloorandCeiling]

I think it's more so a symptom of how the NBA is looking for versatile, multipositional 6-9 and up prospects.

[@jamesdonaldson7396]

@@FloorandCeiling that's why he'll get drafted - but the lottery feels like a reach for him - but maybe someone sees something more inevitable than I do

[@mrpoopybutthole2269]

Either he’s a bust or he can be the Giannis of this draft

[@Escamilla_bball]

not so high on him, i see a big bust potential. one of the bigger chances in the draft, teams will definitely have to guess and workouts will be important

[@FloorandCeiling]

Whichever team drafts Salaün absolutely needs to have a developmental plan in place for him. He’s a bit of a risk for sure, but I see him in a similar light to GG Jackson last year who I was also pretty high on. Thanks for watching!

[@Veggamattic]

I wouldn't be surprised if he had more growling to do. When I see 18 year olds with this leggy body type, they often gain another inch or 2.

[@Htiy]

Grrrrrr

[@jpsatre]

@@Htiygay

[@Htiy]

@@jpsatrebruh I’m just making fun of his typo I’m not gay 💀💀

[@jpsatre]

@@Htiy fair enough

[@FloorandCeiling]

He very might well. I think this is also likely for another forward prospect in Ulrich Chomche, for instance. Either way, my guess is we'll see Salaun at the 5 in spurts throughout his NBA career.

[@kronmeicrumbs]

I don't get why he's mocked with the Spurs at 8. There's so many more players at that spot who are way more polished and ready to contribute. This is another Pokusevski situation where teams are too in love with raw potential.

[@FloorandCeiling]

I'm someone who has Salaün mocked to the Spurs at 8 and I think he'd give San Antonio multipositionality, two-way athleticism, and potential self-creation at the wing down the line.

[@alvaromartinez-cachero1231]

Of course there are players in the draft who can contribute to their teams from minute one, but in a draft without much quality it may be preferable to bet on players like Salaun who in 2 or 3 seasons can be a very good player.

[@Popovich4President]

Spur

[@FloorandCeiling]

I've been mocking him to the Spurs at 8.

[@xcchrist8161]

I prefer Pacome Dadiet over Tidjane..I feel that he has much higher ceiling

[@FloorandCeiling]

I’ll have a video on Dadiet very soon.

[@datcanadian7172]

Raptors could still try to trade up for this guy they are in development/rebuild mode so why not also think in time would fit well in the kind of system we are building

[@Justfranktbh]

I doubt we go that route tbh I could see us taking him tho

[@FloorandCeiling]

He fits what's become known as the Raptors mold, but I honestly have no clue what Toronto is up to nowadays. I've had a tough time making sense of their recent moves.

[@ajevans1422]

As an Alabama fan, why does he scream Noah Clowney to me.

[@FloorandCeiling]

I think Salaun is/will be more skilled putting the ball on the floor. Clowney was a more disciplined defender in college, but his offensive potential is much more narrow.

[@moneybagzlawson5147]

He looks like he should finish like freak but he weak af... he got a " default wing" layup package

[@FloorandCeiling]

He definitely blows bunnies at the rim way more than he should, but I think this is fixable.

[@frankiebejarano8706]

Welcome to Portland

[@davidbattrick3690]

With the 7th pic...He will not be there @14!

[@FloorandCeiling]

If he's there, this is a very real possibility. This would be a win for Portland imo. I mentioned this in a separate reply to someone else, but the situation that best fits Salaün is a team with very long term aspirations with a proven developmental system. The Blazers meet that criteria.

[@williamcheever2352]

Positionally he fits nicely with the current pieces and his hustle game compliments the scorers already on the team. He can grow with Scoot, Shae, and Aton and be the forward mate with Tou?!

[@bballer191]

I hope y'all take him so my Spurs don't tbh 😭

[@RighteousRhythm]

Spurs need a point guard not another big forward.

[@FloorandCeiling]

They could get both in this draft.

[@HelloThere-lo3qi]

Yup spurs not dafting this guy… spurs fans who want spurs to pick this guy, im not sure what re they thinking… he played sochan position basically both cant rlly shoot consistently but sochan is a better deffender 😂 why would spurs want to draft him, we legit got no shooters if we pick him

[@FloorandCeiling]

I think Salaün will be better than Sochan who, imo, is a tradeable piece and shouldn't be 100% factored into San Antonio's long-term future.

[@linxblack5921]

Give me/the Knicks Bobi Klintman over him.

[@FloorandCeiling]

Klintman is in my early second round, whereas Salaün is firmly in my top 8.

[@linxblack5921]

@@FloorandCeiling I only hope that draft prognosticators like yourself, who also wear the title of "NBA scout" for the many teams that will be picking before the Knicks have the doubt that you have in Klintman. Because I see Klintman as a poor man's Lamar Odum. I also see Klintman as a perfect complimentary piece to play with and off of Brunson, DD, OG and Randle, and the perfect PF to eventually replace Randle in 3-4 years. Add to that, he's NBA ready, and you will know why I see Klintman as perfect for the Knicks. But if you don't mind let's keep that Lamar Odum comp between you and me, lol. Thanks.

[@Stealther]

his jump shot is so slow

[@FloorandCeiling]

Needs streamlining but I think it’ll be fine in the long run