A wild Hornets summer

Charlotte reshaped the roster into a team that projects worse right now and better later. What they do have is depth and shooting in bulk.

“They project as worse now but potentially better in the future.”

Too many bigs

Hannes Steinbach, Moussa Diabate, Ryan Kalkbrenner, Naz Reid, and Grant Williams all have a case for 20-plus minutes. Royce O'Neale and Dorian Finney-Smith can crowd the four on top of that.

The name left off the list

Everyone mapping the frontcourt minutes skips Tidjane Salaun. He is the one player whose jump would change what this team is now and what it becomes.

“Everyone's ignoring a frontcourt player who could be a total wild card.”

A rookie year to forget

Salaun was drafted as a G League project, then injuries shoved him into NBA minutes before he was ready. Year two sent him back down, and the slower path suited him.

“Salaun had an absolutely dreadful rookie season.”

Box score lies

The basic stats still look thin for a sixth overall pick. The advanced numbers describe someone quietly effective in small doses, which is a different player entirely.

From sinkhole to plus

His net rating went from minus 11.9 in 2024-25 to plus 2.1 in 2025-26. A 113.2 offensive rating put him ahead of Ryan Kalkbrenner and Collin Sexton.

“That's a good rating.”

The shooting fixed itself

True shooting climbed from a historically bad 45.7 percent to 62.9 percent. Forget the size of the jump, the new number is good on its own.

One more step changes everything

Only his passing stalled. Keep this trajectory and the depth stops being a reason to sit him, and he plays his way into Charlotte's rotation and its plans.

“He will force his way into the rotation and the future plans of the Charlotte Hornets.”