Summer recap: Early impressions of Tidjane Salaün. What do we make of Hornets’ rookie?

Table the concerns, shelve any trepidation.

When Tidjane Salaün’s name got called by NBA commissioner Adam Silver last month, more than a few eyebrows were raised, wondering if this was another misstep by an organization that’s had issues choosing the right talent in the NBA Draft.

Those worries increased slightly with the news of Salaün suffering a laceration on his left knee during some of his initial workouts with the team, keeping him from being unveiled during the California Classic and under wraps until Las Vegas Summer League action commenced.

It’s only natural for the alarm to automatically sound due to the sheer number of injuries amassed by the team’s highest-paid and most important players over the past few seasons.

However, Salaün’s early impressions may quell any fears causing Charlotte Hornets’ fans to awaken in a cold sweat. Although Salaün didn’t appear in any of the Hornets’ final three games, the glimpses displayed during the pair of outings he suited up in represented enough to use a descriptive term not typically reserved for Charlotte lottery picks.

Intriguing.

Salaün appears — and let’s emphasize appears — to have the goods to become a solid NBA player and perhaps eventually wind up with a productive career on this side of the pond. His physical attributes paired with an insatiable work ethic and a quiet, yet sneaky-funny personality, puts him on the proper trajectory to get penciled in as an integral piece of the young Hornets’ future.

Quickly, the 18-year-old Frenchman is fitting in.

“It’s not too hard for me,” Salaün said during a 10-minute sitdown with The Observer. “Yeah, because the environment for the last three weeks, everybody is very kind and that helped me a lot because we have a great communication. And after making just one adaptation in practice before the (first) game, it wasn’t so hard and I wasn’t even surprised to take the rhythm faster.”

Salaün’s ability to pick things up rapidly has to be music to the Hornets’ ears.

As the first true player picked by the franchise’s new regime, his selection also offers insight into the thinking of president of basketball operations Jeff Peterson and coach Charles Lee. They’re seeking individuals who possess specific qualities, mostly those boasting the ability to transform into a quality all-around player attached to drive to continuously improve daily without much prodding.

Salaün already has visions of acquiring the tool he believes will assist him in reaching the next level of his growth as soon as possible.

“For me, it’s playing confidence,” Salaün said. “That makes the difference. That’s always been the key for me, always been the key for me, because when you have confidence even if the shot is hard with my confidence I know I’m going to make it.

“I can be far from the 3-point line, but I’m sure I’m going to make it. And that is the most important thing for me — to be in confidence. And game-by-game, I’m going to (have) more confidence. You will see.”

If so, the small snippet of production during summer league wasn’t a bad precursor.

After sitting out the Hornets three wins in California, Salaün came off the bench against New York, displaying some of the athletic skill set that had the Hornets blowing up most mock drafts —since no one predicted him to go sixth overall.

Beyond the eight points and seven rebounds, he showed some grit and strength, fighting through contact a couple of times to power up for traditional 3-point plays. And on each occasion he scored despite the contact, Salaün let out a noticeable scream.

Expect to see that more than once in the future, too.

“Every time because it’s just natural,” he said. “It’s an and-one. It’s cool, you know? You have to be free to feel the game. So, I explode when I make an and-one, when I make 3-points. Every time, I treat the moment like it was the greatest moment of my life.”

Don’t think for a second he’s strictly offensive, either. Salaün has a 7-foot-2 wingspan that allows him to guard multiple positions and actually enjoys playing on that side of the ball.

His mindset is perfect for Lee’s system because the Hornets’ new head man is all about defense; playing well defensively won’t be an option. It’s a requirement to stay on the floor.

“I agree,” Salaün said, “because for me defense is the most important thing. Because you make a stop, lock the player, lock the team, that can make them mad and after that it’s just a gift to run the floor in transition, do your thing or (hit) a ‘3.’ Everything. Yeah, you take the turnover.”

In Salaün’s second game against Denver, despite accumulating just four rebounds in the first half, he finished with a double-double. He scrapped his way to 10 points and 10 rebounds, but his presence in the game went well beyond the box score.

There’s apparently a hunger burning inside Salaün’s 6-9, 210-pound frame.

“He embodies who we are trying to be,” said Hornets assistant Josh Longstaff, who served as the team’s summer league coach in Las Vegas after Lee passed the baton to him following the California Classic. “He is working hard every day to get better. He got better throughout the game, which is great to see.

“And he just has this passion to compete and a lot of times he almost wills his way to an offensive rebound or he wills the ‘3’ and the big ‘3’ that he hit. He gets out and he runs on offense and he’s just scratching the surface of who we think he can be. But it starts with who he is as a person and as a competitor.”

Does all this mean the Hornets are assured Salaün is the real deal, that the organization hit a home run — or a ‘boundary six’ in cricket terms for the overseas crowd — with their latest draft pick? No. It’s way too early for such irresponsible proclamations, especially when summer league action is the only true professional listing on Salaün’s virtual resume currently.

But at a minimum, the early returns are positive, which is a mental booster itself for the Hornets. The next answer should come in the fall when Salaün goes up against better competition during the preseason, allowing evaluators to really gauge his readiness and progress.

It’s a safe bet many within the franchise are counting down the days until the weather cools down and they can get another up-close view of their prized pick, perhaps infusing some of the bewildered fan base with the same kind of new life that’s been breathed into the Hornets throughout an offseason littered with change.

While no one is counting on Salaün to be a savior, his arrival is the latest opportunity for Charlotte to hit the reset button, further illustrating just how things are different from top to bottom. Salaün’s new surroundings are so accommodating that he can’t choose just one individual who has been the most hospitable during this past month.

“Hard question because everybody has helped me a lot,” Salaün said. “The coaches are very free to talk to and even the players, whether it’s the starters or the bench players, everybody talks a lot, everybody supports you. And that is very nice to have big support on your back.”