Tidjane Salaun scouting report: Profile, team fits, strengths, flaws and NBA draft stock prediction

The young French baller Tidjane Salaun, who currently plays for Cholet Basket in the LNB Pro A League in France, is going to be the focus of this report ahead of the 2024 NBA Draft.

This article will explore the details of the player here:

Tidjane Salaun scouting report

Measurements

NBADraft.net puts Salaun's measurements ahead of the combine as follows: 6-foot-9, 207 lbs, with a wingspan just below 7-foot-1 (7'0.75"). Aside from that, his reported vertical jump is measured at 33.25", indicating a good level of athleticism for someone his size. It's not that high of a vert, but it's more than enough for a player of his frame.

Strengths

Tidjane Salaun is a bonafide threat in transition, as shown in his earlier highlights as a member of the French youth team in FIBA U18:

He has shown great body control on the break, barely ever off-balance even when going full tilt. Couple that with a good feel for finishing strong at the basket, Salaun could be an excellent asset in an NBA full of uber-athletic wings that can score easy baskets on the open floor.

When he turned pro, however, he seemed to have switched up his game quite a bit. He's shooting a bit more from the outside now as a member of Cholet Basket, using his length to shoot over defenders whenever possible. As a result, he averaged around 34% from three in the Basketball Champions League. Salaun's shooting form looks smooth and stable, which could bode well for him fitting in with the modern NBA game.

His midrange game has also seen a lot of improvement after turning pro (via Sports Illustrated). Salaun possesses an array of moves he can use to create separation for his own shot. And with his size, he can also just easily rise above smaller defenders or back them down if there's no weak side or strong side help coming in.

Either way, there remains a high ceiling for Tidjane Salaun, as he hasn't played organized basketball as long as some of his peers in the draft class.

Weaknesses

Perhaps owing to his relative lack of experience in organized hoops, Tidjane Salaun has shown that he still has a lot of big things to work on--both on offense and defense. While he can score on his own or within his team's sets, Salaun remains streaky and inconsistent on this end of the floor (via NBA Scouting Live).

His defense leaves something to be desired as well, as he might not have enough length for a frontcourt guy to bother the much longer players in his position that he'll see in the league. He's also not that good of a rebounder especially for his height, but perhaps one could attribute this to his relative lack of length and discipline on the defensive end of the floor.

As for his passing, there actually aren't a lot of highlights of him sharing the rock--and that says a lot. It could point to him not being as impactful without scoring the ball. This is already evident in his play for Cholet in France's top league, as he's barely averaging one assist in the 2023-2024 season.

Tidjane Salaun NBA Draft projection

Despite his weaknesses, Tidjane Salaun's overall NBA Draft projection remains good. He is expected to be at least a first-rounder going to a team that needs a mobile power forward (or perhaps a backup small forward) with decent shot creation abilities.

Bleacher Report believes that the Chicago Bulls could draft Salaun with the 11th pick, where he could definitely improve his defense and make his offense far more consistent.