Kon Knueppel details his whirlwind month, which saw him win Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month and appear on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Knueppel admits to being nervous about the late-night appearance but calls being on the show a "cool experience." He stresses the need for the team to stick to their habits and "get better as a collective unit." By DIAMOND VENCES
The metamorphosis is happening.
Flashes of impressive play have picked up, becoming more the norm rather than the exception. Effective impact levels are also on the rise, no longer strictly spotted in brief glimpses.
Over the past week-plus, since returning from another assignment with the Charlotte Hornets’ G League affiliate, Tidjane Salaün’s contributions haven’t gone unnoticed. The Frenchman is in the midst of his best stretch as a pro, proving he can be a reliable piece of coach Charles Lee’s rotation, assisting with much-needed front-line depth as a valuable reserve.
“Yeah, it helps us a lot,” Miles Bridges said. “We’re waiting for Grant (Williams) to get back, but Tidjane, people tend to forget Tidjane is only 20 years old. He’s still learning. I came into the league at 20 years old. I didn’t know what the hell I was doing.
“So, you’ve got to give him some grace, man. I’m always going to lift him up. He’s going to be great for us.”
Raw and young when the Hornets surprisingly selected him No. 6 overall in the 2024 NBA Draft, Salaün’s development is directly tied to the Hornets’ future success. Following a roller coaster rookie campaign that had its dips and turns, things are looking up for Salaün at the moment, and his recent play is among the few bright spots in a season that hasn’t had many for the Hornets.
Charlotte Hornets forward Tidjane Salaün gives the thumbs- up to the bench during action against the Denver Nuggets at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
In his last four games leading into Friday night’s matchup with the Chicago Bulls at Spectrum Center, Salaün is averaging 12.2 points and doing things that don’t necessarily appear in the box score, but are crystal clear when watching footage of the action.
“I have loved the mindset that Tidjane has come back with from his Greensboro stint,” Lee said. “I have seen him embrace his role even more than he did earlier in the year, which I think is great. I think he’s gotten a little bit more confidence in what that role looks like. I think he’s gotten a little bit more comfortable after getting extended minutes.
“But defensively we got to see (in New York against the Knicks), I thought that he had to come in early once Moussa (Diabate) picked up two fouls. We had a different lineup out there, we started switching. He was able to communicate really well. His individual defense, I thought, was really good. He got a deflection on a couple passes as guys are dribbling.”
That’s not all. Salaün is catching Lee’s attention in other aspects.
“And then offensively he’s helping our ball movement so much,” Lee said. “And I think that he’s learning spatial awareness and where to be on the court, where he’s finding those windows to be able to get some of those catch-and-shoot threes. He’s seeing those opportunities every now and then.
“As much as I him to hold the corners, he does recognize when the defense is overshifted and (leads to) kind of some of those baseline cuts that he’s getting himself some dunks on. So, I love his overall just embracing of the role and keeping it simple and doing the things that we’re asking to do.”
Salaün’s statistical leap almost makes one do a double take. After struggling to make only 35.2% of his attempts in 2024-25, including a 30.9% mark beyond the 3-point arc, he’s at 50% or better in both categories through 11 appearances this season.
His shot is more refined and the release is quicker, something he worked on endlessly during the offseason, initially unveiling it throughout the Hornets’ run to their first summer league championship in Las Vegas.
Overall, Salaün appears to be turning the corner, highlighted by a career-best 21-point outing in Toronto last Friday that certainly was encouraging.
“I just played the right way and the way the coaches teach us,” Salaün said. “So, that’s why I had some good shots. But it also was confidence and that is because my teammates trust me, and the coach and the front office, they trust my work. That’s why I can be in the best condition to be efficient, and I’m just knocking down shots.”
Perhaps a chat with KJ Simpson didn’t hurt, either.
When Salaün was initially reassigned to the Greensboro Swarm on Nov. 3, a move that lasted for the better part of the month, Simpson dialed him up. If anyone else on the team understands what it’s like to be shipped back and forth between the Swarm and the Hornets’ main roster, it’s Simpson.
The second-year point guard has had his share of runs with Greensboro and been alongside Salaün in the process, so they’ve formed a good relationship as draft classmates. Tapping into Salaün’s psyche was a necessity for Simpson.
“I know it was kind of tough on him at the beginning stretch of the season,” Simpson said. “(It’s) just trying to have the right mentality. Go to Greensboro and look at it as an opportunity to go get better, fix up on the things that you need to fix and just continue to grow as a player, as a teammate. Go work on leadership skills, things like that, being more vocal.
“So, I had a conversation with him. He’s obviously good on his own, just making sure he’s staying mentally focused and locked in and blocking out all the noise when it’s time to work. That’s what makes him great and is what’s going to make him great. … It’s all about his confidence and going out there and being who he is. We love who he is. He brings a lot to this team. Coach talks about it a lot. So, it was great to go see him in Greensboro, have that spark, bring it back up here.”
Charlotte Hornets injured guard LaMelo Ball, left, shakes hands with teammate and forward Tidjane Salaün, right, prior to the team’s game against the Denver Nuggets at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
Apparently, Salaün has found the appropriate formula to make him successful. In nine games with the Swarm, he averaged 16.2 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 31.8 minutes, also posting three performances of 20 or more points and recording two double-doubles.
“To me, when I go on the court, it’s not about scoring a lot of points,” he said. “It’s defense first, so the rest will come after. So, I just have to play good defense and the coach loves it and trusts me more, and when I get open I just have to shoot.
“I just feel good, and I’m trying to do the job at the best level possible.”
Which is appreciated by Salaün’s teammates, and they can’t stop piling on the praise regarding his steady improvement and how he’s leaving an impression, particularly with the Hornets battling injuries on a daily basis.
“Definitely means a lot,” Brandon Miller said. “It just shows his growth, his overall growth during the season, and it’s more room to grow from here on out.”
And plenty of time, too, given there are more than 50 games remaining in a season that is essentially now all about development and figuring out the future of the Hornets’ roster. Salaün’s progression is among the things that bear watching over the final four months of 2025-26 for the Hornets.
“The messaging is just continue to get better every day,” Lee said. “Focus, apply it to what we’re talking about. Be great defensively. Offensively, shoot catch-and-shoot jumpers, be a versatile screener and have the ability to be able to pop sometimes, to be able to roll sometimes. And then just keep making the right reads. Because I think sometimes young players — and Tidjane especially — they think that the best way to impact the game is scoring.
“But there are so many other ways to impact the game. And it’s with your defense, it’s with your screening, it’s with your passing, it’s with your offensive rebounding. Those all have a toll on the game, and he’s just recognizing that and realizing that even more and more as he continues to get more reps.”