NBA Draft Profile- Tidjane Salaun

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Today’s Spotlight - LNB Espoirs- Cholet Basket, Power Forward, Tidjane Salaun

Name- Tidjane Salaun

Pos- Power Forward

Team- LNB Espoirs- Cholet Basket

HT/WT- 6’9” 204 lbs

Born- 8/10/2005

Home – Paris, France

Tidjane Salaun was born in Paris, France on August 10, 2005 and began playing for Cholet Basket's team in LNB Espoirs, the French under-21 league, in 2021.

Salaun participated in the NBA Basketball Without Borders camp during the 2023 NBA All-Star weekend and was named the MVP of the 2023 Trophee du Futur (Trophy of the Future) tournament after averaging 17.7 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. After the tournament, Salaun signed his first professional contract with Cholet's senior team. This past season he averaged 9.3 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.per

Tidjane Salaun is a freakish athlete with massive hands, long arms and a great frame. When watching Salaun play, it is hard not to notice his non-stop game motor and the intensity in which he plays. He does not take a second off while on the court.

Mechanically Salaun has a smooth stroke on his jump shot and does a solid job of getting his body in position to get shots off. He has very good instincts for a player his age. Salaun has a feel for when he needs to cut to the rim or where to find soft spots in defenses.

On defense, he is athletic enough to defend wings or forwards and can be used in several different spots.

Salaun is young and is only starting to show what he is capable of. He is still very raw and his decision making can come into question during games. He struggles with dribbling and at this point is his development, he will have a higher turnover rate than most scouts want to see. He needs to develop a better feel for the way an offense runs and he gets caught flat footed causing him to struggle facilitating the basketball.

On defense he has all the potential in the world to be an excellent NBA defender, but he needs to work on his footwork and add strength to his youthful build.

Strengths

Jump Shot
Athletic Length
Fast Break
Non Stop Motor
Intensity

Weaknesses

Strength
Ball Distribution
Trouble With Dribbling
Footwork

Final Analysis

Tidjane Salaun has a very high ceiling, but he needs time to develop his game. His athleticism and body frame are two things that cannot be taught. He has shown that he can shoot and play solid defense. The next step for Salaun is to fully learn the game. Once he gets a better understanding of the NBA and how the game is played, the sky's the limit for an athlete of his ilk.

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