Hornets’ Tidjane Salaün eager for NBA summer league debut: ‘I will work and have fun’

Taking a brief break in the aftermath of a whirlwind 24 hours, Tidjane Salaün anticipated an upcoming moment that still seemed far away.

“I’m excited,” the Charlotte Hornets rookie said during a chat with The Observer. “For sure. It’s going to be step-by-step, and I will work and have fun to get the best result possible.”

Two weeks ago, Salaün was nearly bursting through his skin at the thought of his first true introduction into the spotlight: NBA summer league action. So, sitting out the Hornets’ three victories at the California Classic while nursing a left knee laceration suffered working out days after the NBA Draft only further enhanced his emotions.

Salaün, however, made the best of it.

“It wasn’t so tough because I continued to shoot, lift,” Salaün said. “But it wasn’t so bad and now I’m back. So, it wasn’t so tough.”

Surprisingly selected sixth overall last month, the 18-year-old Frenchman can’t wait to hit the court against another team, which could be in the Hornets’ Las Vegas Summer League matchup with New York at UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center on Saturday. Whenever it does happen, Salaün is confident he’ll seamlessly slide into a unit that’s looked solid before heading to the desert for the next phase of their summer schedule.

“I think I will play my basketball for sure,” Salaün said. “I know it’s different by the rhythm. I’m just going to adapt my play first by training with my teammates, and after we will see in a game.”

At least Salaün is suiting up. That’s not the case for his draft mate.

KJ Simpson is unavailable for summer league action due to a hamstring injury that occurred during the pre-draft process. The draft pick from Colorado is expected to be fully recovered and ready for training camp in September, but sitting out rather than gathering valuable on-court experience is eating at him as he settles in with the Hornets.

“It’s been great,” Simpson said. “The hardest part is obviously not being out there playing. As a competitor, you miss it. But I’m still working out, getting myself ready, being healthy. But just being around the whole staff, being around the whole team is special.

“I’m starting to build nice relationships with everybody. Everybody has been very welcoming, kind of taught me a little bit of the ways. We all are learning, because everybody is pretty much new. It’s all been great, it’s all been great.”

The Observer recently caught up with Salaün and Simpson on two separate occasions, checking in with the Hornets’ draft picks to gauge how things are going as they assimilate themselves into a new organization and environment.

Roderick Boone: What do you hope to accomplish and showcase during summer league in Las Vegas?

Tidjane Salaün: First, I want to win, help my teammates make the best record as possible. Because I didn’t play, I lost a little bit of my cardio. So, I will do the best possible and after (that) we will see. But for me, I don’t want to show something special. I just want to take the rhythm of the NBA and make the best record possible.

Boone: How will you stay engaged and learn this summer without being on the court?

KJ Simpson: Honestly, it’s literally the same exact thing. I’m still being vocal, I’m still being engaged. If I have a question, I ask one of the coaches. Asking to watch film. I’m just making sure that I’m always involved, I’m not just standing off to the side. I’m clapping, I’m cheering my teammates, cheering them on. I’m doing everything, making sure my presence is felt being off the court.

So, I’m learning as much as I can. Asking the questions is probably the biggest thing, asking coaches a certain thing, player development coaches a certain thing. (Whatever) the most I can learn in a small time, I’m better.

Boone: How do you think you fit in with what the Hornets are doing?

Salaün: I think we are on the same page. I work hard, I play hard and they want the same thing. So, it’s cool to have some coach available to work with me when I want, when I need. So, that’s how I fit with them.

Boone: Do you already sense how much the fan base is starved for a winning product even though you just got drafted?

Simpson: Yeah, honestly, the moment I touched down — even before I left — there was a lot of people mentioning how they were fans of the team and how they couldn’t wait, they thought they got the steal of the draft. And I agreed with them, so that definitely plays a long way that just goes to show they bleed teal. They bleed it and I’m excited to kind of be a part of it.

Coming here, obviously, my social media is just flooded right now, but I have looked and there’s a lot of positive feedback, and there’s a lot of positivity in my comments, and people reaching out and fan base that they’re excited that I was picked to come here. And that means a lot. That goes a long way. So I just want to go out there and kind of play for them.”

Boone: How much have you and Tidjane discussed bringing that work ethic coach Charles Lee wants and is demanding from everyone?

Simpson: I think what Tidjane even talked about (at the press conference), a little is we went through stuff and it wasn’t the easiest of stuff to go through. He shared his little story and my little story, it was a big, big mental challenge that I went through. Long story short, it taught me to kind of be more appreciative of basketball, because it was taken from me and that’s never happened to me before.

And so when that happened, it gave me a better outlook and appreciation. It made me hungrier to work harder because that process of getting back to where I was at one point, it wasn’t easy at all. And where I had to be was even harder.

So I understand what that felt like. And kind of, Tidjane said it himself — he never wanted to feel like that ever again. And that’s something that kind of drives me to work as hard as I do. I’m not out there looking the fanciest, or trying to look the prettiest and what I do.

I just go out there and I want to work the hardest because that’s what means the most to me. So what I went through mentally, it put me at a different level of appreciation and focus.

Boone: You said you didn’t watch the NBA when you were younger because you didn’t think you’d be playing in the league. Has it hit you yet?

Salaün: Yeah, it’s weird. Yes. For sure because before I became a professional I was in (France) with my teammates, some guys we go to school every day without crowds. And now I have some fans … just all of this is crazy. Just to have a practice facility … I have a practice facility that’s different than the arena. Everything, everything. The weight room. They have many things to be the best possible and in shape.

Boone: You’re on a team with LaMelo Ball and Tre Mann. How eager are you to get with them and pick their brain?

Simpson: Yeah, I think we all bring a different, you know specialty to the team. Obviously, I know how special LaMelo and Tre are, not just to this organization, but in the NBA as basketball players. So, I definitely, definitely appreciate all that they’ve done, as far as from a basketball perspective and the way they carry themselves. And I’m just excited to kind of get going with them.

For me, it’s (about) at least having a close locker room or some of that great chemistry. That’s extremely important. That’s something I kind of tried to instill in Colorado. So, I want to come here and kind of do the same thing, and what better way to kind of learn from those guys who already have experience, get better together and push us ourselves to get this whole team better and win out there on the floor.

And I feel like, with me Tre and LaMelo at the guard position, we’re going to push each other, and that’s a real little competitive group of guys that are just going to go out there and want to win.

Boone: What part of your game do you have to work on most to get to that next level you’re seeking? Shooting? Getting to the rim? Pick-and-roll?

Simpson: All those things like you named. Obviously, the shooting has to be there, finishing has to be there. And my size, people talk about it a lot and that’s something I want to go out there and prove. That’s not a negative thing, but if that’s the case I’m going to have to go out there and work on my finishing, I’m going to have to work even in the strength room, stuff like that.

But definitely I would say the main things is probably decision making and definitely defense. I know people are going to look at my size and think I’m an easy target, think they’re someone who could go at me. And that’s not going to be the case. I’m more than prepared to go out there and show that.

Decision making at the guard position is really important and like I said, learning from LaMelo, learning from Tre, getting to pick their brains and get better in that aspect. So, I’m excited to do that. There’s a lot of things I feel like I need to always improve on to get better in, but those kinds of key things are what I’ll focus on.

Boone: What’s the culture change been like trying to adapt to life in another country?

Salaün: I think the culture, I like it because what I need, what I want, it’s here. They have everything to work (with) and so I’m just happy to get everything for being the best possible.

Boone: What’s been your favorite meal or food so far here in America?

Salaün: I don’t really know. I think it’s a hard question because I don’t really like the food in the restaurants. So in Sacramento, we had a chef for the breakfast, after practice and into the night. And the food was very good as far as being simple. I choose what I want — so it’s like chicken, something on the side like pasta and some vegetables. Simple.

Boone: How excited are you to actually get on the court and get going with everyone?

Simpson: I cannot wait, I cannot wait. That’s literally what I want. I don’t want to wait no more. I waited enough for that draft and those whole two rounds. The fact I had to go to sleep and it being the next day instead of it being all in one day, that’s enough waiting for me.

I just want to play basketball and now that I’m here with the right team, with the right organization, with the right people around me, I’m excited to get it going.

Boone: Coach Lee has been leading things during summer league. How does him being around help you in summer league?

Salaün: He’s close with his players and I think it’s very good for Coach to be close to his players, to know each other, to try to know how they work. And that helps a lot. Just with me to have the trust of my coach I think is good and that can help a lot.

Boone: What are your thoughts on Coach Lee being on the bench in summer league?

Simpson: It just goes to show and it’s a testament to who he is as a person because he can clearly have somebody else coach, he wants to jell with the team, he wants to get acclimated quickly. And I could appreciate that. From the conversations we’ve had, I already can tell the relationship is going to blossom.

It’s going to be a great relationship, and I know he’s going to push me, and I know he’s going to push this team, and that’s something that we all want. Hopefully, it kind of gives us an edge and an advantage going into this season.