Tidjane Salaün debuts as Brandon Miller reminds people he’s someone to be reckoned with

Brandon Miller shook his head, uttering out a few choice words to the visitor’s bench while backpedaling on defense.

The Charlotte Hornets swingman had just drained a turnaround jumper in the lane, adding to his impressive total. But this wasn’t a regular-season game at the Hornets’ home digs in Spectrum Center or Madison Square Garden, the venue of Saturday’s opponents.

Instead, Miller was doing his thing inside the cool atmosphere of UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center on a blistering hot afternoon, starting at small forward and logging plenty of action in the Hornets’ 94-90 victory against New York on Saturday that upped Charlotte’s record to 4-0 in summer league play..

Consider it the latest educational moment for Miller.

When the summer roster was revealed, showing the Hornets’ prized first-round pick from a year ago being listed among the likes of undrafted, it triggered an immediate reaction. Why? The answer is apparently rather simple.

“I’m very excited that Brandon, when we sat down and talked to him about the opportunity to play in summer league,” coach Charles Lee said during the ESPN 2 broadcast, “it was just that — an opportunity for him to continue to get more reps. And as he continues to grow in this league, he’s one of our better players from this young core.

“And so the team is going to follow his lead. It was really important for him to come out and play, work hard and practice, and do everything that it takes to build the appropriate foundation that we need in Charlotte.”

Judging by his performance, it looks like Miller doesn’t need many extra sessions.

Miller was smooth, displaying his versatility and ever-improving game. He executed some nice new moves, tossing in turnaround, and had the touch going from the outside, nailing half of his 10 3-pointers.

An efficient 23 points — to go with eight rebounds and two assists — was second only to Nick Smith Jr.’s 24-point outing. And it was just a continuation of Miller’s maturation, which had been on display in the desert over the past two weeks.

Miller has been in Las Vegas training with the USA Select team, a squad mostly comprised of younger individuals who’ve left a mark recently, whether it’s in the NBA or college. Miles Bridges was a member of the team in 2021 along with former Hornet PJ Washington, giving each invaluable time with some of the NBA’s elite as they prepared for international play in the Olympics.

Now, that distinguished honor goes to Miller, allowing the 21-year-old to refine the skills that propelled him onto the all-rookie first team.

“It’s a tremendous experience, great exposure for him,” Lee said. “And even talking to him see how he matches up with some of the best talent in our league.”

Tidjane Salaün solid in Hornets debut

Miller’s production somewhat overshadowed the debut of the Hornets’ most recent first-round pick. After sitting out their three games in the California Classic nursing a left knee laceration, Tidjane Salaün came off the bench against New York and showcased some of the length and athleticism that had the Hornets salivating enough to pick him sixth overall in last month’s NBA Draft.

Salaün left a good first impression with eight points and seven rebounds, fighting through contact a couple of times to power up traditional 3-point plays. He even threw down a nifty putback dunk.

“I felt good,” Salaün said. “For me, it was to come back and have my second practice since the beginning because I only had one. So, I’m not feeling too bad. I feel good. I ran the floor most of the time like I could do, so (it was) fine.

“I just followed the rhythm of the game, I just followed the rhythm of my teammates, with the crowd, my teammates, the game, everything. Get in a rhythm to run the floor, be aggressive and everything.”

In essence, just doing the same mentality he’s had since arriving on the scene.

“My first impression is in practice he plays hard all the time and that’s what I like about him,” Smith said. “He has no filter for real. You are going to get 110% from him every time.”

Praise for the Frenchman came from all directions. Josh Longstaff, who’s taken the coaching reins from Lee for the Las Vegas Summer League, lauded Salaün first foray into action.

Longstaff almost sounded like a proud father while discussing Salaün.

“It was just great to see him out there,” Longstaff said. “It was great for his teammates and people in Charlotte to see his character, how excited he is, how much joy and competitiveness he plays with. He wants to get better. We love that about him and we’re really excited.”

More than one of Salaün’s strengths stood out, too.

“His energy and physicality are two huge pieces of his game,” Longstaff said. “He’s a good roller, shooter, heck of an offensive rebounder. We’re excited about his whole game, but honestly his competitiveness brings everybody else’s up. And to me, that’s his super power.”

Hornets sign Taj Gibson

Add another name to the Hornets’ list of offseason acquisitions.

Taj Gibson signed a one-year, $3.3 million contract on Saturday to join the Hornets. The veteran center will be a strong and much-needed voice for Lee in the locker room, giving the Hornets something they’ve lacked since Terry Rozier got traded to Miami in January.

Gibson, 39, brings a wealth of experience on the strength of a 15-year career. He’s been to the playoffs in all but six of his seasons, easily surpassing the total number of games the Hornets’ entire roster has logged. He’s appeared in 965 games and had stints with Chicago, New York, Minnesota, Washington, Oklahoma City and Detroit.

Gibson’s arrival pushes the Hornets’ roster to 16, leaving them with two more potential spots to fill.