CHARLOTTE — With head of basketball ops Jeff Peterson and coach Charles Lee now steering the ship of the revamped Charlotte Hornets, the team walked away with two new players from last week’s 2024 NBA Draft.
As the Hornets went on the clock for the sixth overall pick in the draft, the team selected 6-foot-9 forward Tidjane Salaun, who has played professionally over the last two seasons for Cholet Basket in France’s LNB Pro A league.
“I’m grateful. Thank you to everybody. I’m just happy to be here. I’m just ready to work and start up for the first day of Summer League,” Salaun said in an introductory press conference held following the draft. “I will bring all of my energy out on the court.”
With a 7-foot-2 wingspan and a unique playing style dictated by his rapid motor, the 18-year-old is the youngest member of his draft class and is viewed as a long-term investment for the Hornets.
Salaun averaged 14 points, six rebounds and two steals per 36 minutes last season for Cholet as his performances trended up towards the end of the 2023-24 campaign.
Charlotte is now hoping that the Frenchman can improve his 33% mark from 3-point range closer to 40%, a task that league draft scouts have noted as a possibility due to his pure shooting motion.
“When I was young, I didn’t watch the NBA and didn’t expect to be in the NBA,” Salaun said. “I’ll continue to work. Just yesterday, I was working with the coach on my shot, and I shoot a lot. I think I’m going to be better with my confidence after that process.”
In the second round, the Hornets drafted former Colorado star KJ Simpson with the No. 42 pick. The 21-year-old West Hills, CA, native, was a First-Team All-Pac-12 honoree, averaging 19.7 points per game this past season for the Buffaloes as a junior.
Regarded as one of the top point guards in his conference for most of his collegiate career, Simpson now gives the Hornets a potential plug-and-play weapon and a reliable decision-maker on both ends of the floor.
“Right when I got drafted, it felt like a dream come true,” Simpson said. “You think about this as a kid and now that it finally happened. Everybody saw my raw emotions right when it happened and that’s just who I am. Honestly, I still feel the same way and I still feel on top of the world. I also can’t wait to get ready to work and be ready to go after it with this team and this unbelievable opportunity.”
Following the draft, Peterson and Lee joined Salaun and Simpson at a podium as the four were asked about their draft experiences, the reaction within the organization, and how this draft will affect the team going forward.
“This is a special day being able to add Tidjane, KJ and their families to our organization here in Charlotte with us. It doesn’t get better than this,” Peterson said. “Tidjane and KJ were two players that we targeted prior to the draft even starting. Anytime that you can add two players of that caliber and two guys with the character they have is extremely exciting. I can’t wait for the fans to be able to watch them and see what we saw during the draft process.”
Lee, who became the Hornets’ 12th head coach in team history after signing a four-year contract in May, said that the team’s scouting department — as deployed for Charlotte’s two new picks — has made him even more excited about his new job.
“Watching film of both of these two players, you have to be excited with their competitive nature,” Lee said. “As we start to bring a new brand of basketball to Charlotte, these guys embody what Hornets’ DNA is going to look like.”
While it’s not immediately evident how much Salaun and Simpson factor in the Hornets’ 2024-25 season, the two could likely find themselves in Greensboro soon as members of the Swarm developmental G League team.
“When you talk about the type of people they are and also the way they play the game, both are very unselfish,” Lee continued. “KJ just talked about his raw emotion. When I watched him play on film, that’s how he plays — with passion and joy. We need that, and I can already feel from Tidjane the same type of energy. He’s got an infectious spirit to him. After spending time with both of them and their families, I can see why they’re such great young men and talented basketball players.”
