Spurs Prospect Preview: Tidjane Salaun

Drafting the French wing would be an upside play for San Antonio.

Indulge me in a baseball reference, if you will. The San Antonio Spurs find themselves ahead in the count. Stepping up to the plate to rebuild their roster, they took ball one, with one of the better track records of developing young players and a legendary head coach. Then they drafted a generational big man who is more “alien” than “unicorn.” Ball two. Victor Wembanyama lived up to the hype in his rookie season, but the team went 22-60. Strike one. The Spurs land two picks in the top 10 of the 2024 NBA Draft. Ball three.

It’s a 3-1 hitters count and the Spurs are staring down a crucial “pitch” for their rebuild. Do they take a swing for the fences, or just try to get on base?

That’s the key question for Brian Wright, Gregg Popovich and the rest of the Spurs front office. With two opportunities to draft players that can compliment Wembanyama long term, they have the room to select a player who may not be ready right away, but could become a long-term starter.

With that in mind, it makes sense that Tidjane Salaun has been heavily linked to the Spurs early in the draft process. For the second consecutive ESPN Mock Draft, Jonathan Givony has San Antonio selecting Salaun with the eighth overall pick. Rival executives have linked the French wing to the Spurs throughout the draft process.

Salaun is a long, athletic wing at 6-foot-9 who can shoot the ball from deep. While he’s still raw, the 18-year-old has steadily improved over the course of the 2023-24 season with Cholet Basket in the LNB Pro A (the same league Wembanyama played in before being drafted.) Salaun has freakish upside, but will likely need some time to develop before he can contribute to an NBA rotation. If the Spurs are willing to play the long game, they may have another core Frenchman after selecting Salaun.

Tidjane Salaun, 6-foot-9 Wing, Cholet

2023-2024 stats: 9.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.2 steals, 37.3% FG, 32.9% 3PT, 76.7% FT

Player comparison: Rui Hachimura

Strengths

So much of Salaun’s draft stock is based in the theoretical. At 6-foot-9 with a muscular build and flashes of high-level shooting and athleticism, it’s easy to talk yourself into his upside. Especially when he’s playing like this in a playoff game at just 18 years old:

There is a night and day difference between Salaun at the beginning of this season versus the end. First, he’s noticeably filled out his frame in just a few months. He still has plenty of muscle to put on, but it bodes well that he’s growing at such a rapid rate right now. It’s likely that Salaun has yet to reach his final height and weight. The possibility of him becoming a 6-foot-10+, bruising wing raises his ceiling significantly.

He has an elite motor to go along with his frame. Salaun runs everywhere. In the fourth quarter, he’s sprinting end to end to get back on defense or leak out in transition. He doesn’t have great rebounding instincts yet, but he works his tail off to grab boards around the basket. He’s frenetic defensively, moving around in chaotic but aggressive bursts that can sometimes hurt him more than it helps. He plays with a lot of fire, always fist pumping and yelling after an impressive play. When it’s all clicking for Salaun, he is really fun to watch.

What takes him from simply an energy guy to a potential lottery pick is his shooting ability. Salaun has a smooth release that he will pull from deep range. He was hot earlier this season but his percentages have fallen to sub 33% in recent months. Still, the mechanics are sound and when he has time to catch and shoot the ball typically goes in. He’s not much of a shooter off the dribble or flying off screens at the moment. There are signs of advanced shot making from deep. he will pull out the occasional side-step three or step back, although it’s rare. He will need to improve his footwork at the next level. Right now he has a habit of hopping into his shot AFTER he catches the ball, which has slowed down his release.

Salaun is a good off-ball defender. He’s not perfect, but he often makes the right play. He remains locked in even when the ball isn’t in front of him, another sign of his high motor. What’s really exciting is his work in the passing lanes. Salaun has good instincts and anticipation of where the ball is going and can get to steals with his long arms. He averaged 1.2 steals per game despite not creating many turnovers with his on-ball defense. He’s awesome at rotating and contesting shooters as he’s able to close a lot of ground with his frame. As he refines his game, he could become one of the better weak side defenders in the league.

Weaknesses

Remember when I said Salaun’s energy can get him in trouble defensively? It’s a big problem on the ball. He almost has happy feet when defending the ball. Salaun easily loses his balance when a ball-handler changes directions. He defends with high hips and sometimes closes out far too carelessly, leading to defenders blowing past him. There are a lot of holes in his on-ball defense that need to be cleaned up in order for him to become a plus defender.

Despite his frame and athleticism, he doesn’t provide much as a shot blocker, either. In fact, Salaun’s interior defense is pretty suspect overall. He can get bullied on the low block by bigger offensive players. He will get thrown off-balance by sturdy bigs under the basket going for rebounds. As he adds strength, his ability to play big in the paint will be key to his development.

Salaun needs more diversity to his offensive arsenal. As of now he’s pretty much exclusively a catch and shoot player who can attack a closeout, or act as a lob threat. His flashes as a shot creator are few and far between. Salaun shot just 8/40 from mid-range this season. He finished just 58% of his attempts at the rim. His handle is high and loose. He is going to need quite a bit more development as a shot creator if he wants to be more than a spot-up player and cutter.

All that is to say, Salaun is still incredibly raw. He’s one of the youngest players in the draft class, not turning 19 until a month after the NBA Draft. He’s clearly still growing into his body. Every once in awhile he will have a “baby deer” moment where he’s literally tripping over himself. Salaun needs to be drafted by a patient team that lets him make mistakes and learn from them. It would not surprise me if he spent the majority of his first season on a G League roster.

Spurs fit

Selecting Salaun will likely be predicated off what the Spurs do with their other first round selection. Taking a more NBA ready player like Stephon Castle, Reed Sheppard or Rob Dillingham means they can take a swing on Salaun at 8. He seems like a classic Spurs project. A toolsy European player who could become a difference maker with a few years to develop within the Spurs system. They have the track record of turning those types of players into key contributors. If everything goes right for Salaun, he could be an awesome NBA player.

A Salaun selection could likely be a key moment during the Wembanyama era. If he hits his potential and becomes a key contributor as the Spurs are starting to contend, it will be seen as one of Wright’s smartest bets. If he can’t make good on his upside, it will look like a waste of a top-10 selection, even in a weaker draft class.

It’s hard to imagine Salaun cracking the rotation as a rookie. The Spurs have a lot of wings/forwards they want to give minutes to like Keldon Johnson, Jeremy Sochan, Julian Champagnie and Sidy Cissoko. That’s not even counting who they select with their other first-round pick or a veteran addition this summer. Salaun is probably going to spend a lot of time in Austin in his first year to learn how to adjust to a faster, more skilled NBA game.

I believe in Salaun’s upside, especially in the Spurs system. Even if he just hits a medium outcome and becomes a tertiary piece who can knock down shots and play good defense, that’s a win for San Antonio. Having big, smart, athletic shooting wings next to Wembanyama could make the Silver and Black dynamic on both ends. It may just take a few years for him to reach that level. Yet, there will be other players available when the Spurs select with higher floors than Salaun.

A Salaun selection would be a clear indicator that the Spurs are taking this rebuild slowly. With Wembanyama in place and multiple draft picks in the next three drafts, they can afford to take a few high upside swings here and there. Salaun’s combination of shooting, motor, frame and athleticism make him a worthwhile upside swing in this draft, if that’s the direction the Spurs intend to go.

Previous Prospects:

Rob Dillingham

Reed Sheppard

Nikola Topic

Zaccharie Risacher

Stephon Castle