When the Charlotte Hornets selected Tidjane Salaun sixth overall in the 2024 NBA Draft, a lot of people saw it as a reach. Salaun had only recently turned 19 and was coming off a decent professional season overseas. In his pre-draft season, he averaged 9.7 points and 3.9 rebounds per game in France. Not bad for an 18-year-old playing professionally, but watching his tape was a different story.
Salaun was probably the leading prospect in the 2024 NBA Draft, with a contrast between tapes of his misses and his makes. If you watched just his makes, you saw a 6-foot-9 18-year-old with a 7-foot-2 wingspan flying around the court, dunking with authority, and draining threes.