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Hornets’ Charles Lee celebrates Tidjane Salaun for rounding out his game
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- Hornets’ Charles Lee celebrates Tidjane Salaun for rounding out his game
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Hornets' Charles Lee celebrates Tidjane Salaun for rounding out his game appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
Friday night brought bad news for the Charlotte Hornets in the form of an ankle injury to Kon Knueppel, who's been the most consistently good rookie in the league this season. Nonetheless, the Hornets, despite Knueppel's absence in the second half, surged towards a 120-105 win over the Orlando Magic — with second-year forward Tidjane Salaun providing some energy off the bench.
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Salaun did get 22 minutes off the bench, the most for any Hornets reserve on the night. In those minutes, he recorded 14 points on 6-7 shooting from the field, and with every passing game, it looks like head coach Charles Lee is trusting him more and more. He also added nine boards, proving himself to be a much better all-around force than he was in his first season in the association.
After the game, the Hornets head coach praised the 20-year-old forward for being a team player and for contributing on more than just the scoring column.
"He's totally embraced his role. He just realizes how much he can impact the game on both ends of the floor without just scoring, and that's what we're seeing," Lee said in his postgame interview, via Hornets Reddit on X (formerly Twitter).
Tidjane Salaun is on an upward trajectory for the Hornets
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Salaun did show that he was capable shooter and scorer at times during his rookie campaign. But he looked lost in the other areas of the game and he ended up falling out of favor towards the end of the 2024-25 campaign.
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But the Hornets are being patient with him, and he's become a legitimate rotation fixture.
"We're seeing more of a well-rounded game from him, where he's rebounding defensively and guarding multiple different guys. Offensively, that play where he had an opportunity to shoot an off-the-dribble step-back three, which he has in the past, and to make the one-more pass was very encouraging to see. It just shows how much he's about team, trying to compete, and do everything he can to impact winning," Lee added.
Related: Hornets' Kon Knueppel gets initial injury update from Charles Lee
Related: Anthony Black's huge game vs. Hornets a testament to the Magic's versatility
