Betclic Élite – Tidjane Salaün, who has just been elected LNB’s best prospect, is making full progress thanks to his strong work ethic. His versatile athletic interior profile is just a hint of what he could be in the future.
Long announced far behind his two compatriots Alexandre Sarr and Zaccharie Risacher in the various NBA mock drafts for 2024, Tidjane Salaün (2.06 m, 18 years old) is catching up. He is even the hottest prospect at the moment. The LNB recently elected him at the top of the “Top 30 prospects” for the French championships on its social networks. He is ahead of Risacher and Melvin Ajinça. Even if his statistics are still lower than the latter, it is Salaün’s potential that is highlighted. It’s only his first full season as a professional, but he’s already showing signs of a bright future.
At 2.06 m and 92 kg, the little brother of French international Janelle Salaün competes without any problem with much older adults. Used at positions 3 and 4 by Laurent Vila in Cholet, he often even dominates his counterparts in size. And in strength. One of his former coaches admitted from Ouest-France having “never known anyone with such power. » Hence his taste for defensive missions. The Paris native is in the top 15 of the best interceptors in the championship. Which is not trivial for a player of his size and weight, while interceptions are rather the area of predilection for the outsiders. He is in fact particularly mobile for his imposing physique, and always keeps his hands active. Which results above all from innate physical qualities. But that doesn’t push him to rest on his laurels. Those around him describe him as “crazy about work.” »
👑 Tidjane Salaun in first place in the Top 30 prospects by @SMS_Ecole !
✨ The wingman @CB_officiel devance Zaccharie Risacher, Melvin Ajinça, Noam Yaacov et Ilias Kamardine. pic.twitter.com/jyHFaEqxHK
— LNB (@LNBofficiel) December 28, 2023
At 18 and a half years old, Salaün is far from a finished product. He continues to identify areas in which he needs to improve and works on them. In the columns of Ouest-France this week, he explained that he had worked a lot on his 3-point shot. And more particularly on “his shooting, his gestures and his support. »And the work bore fruit. After a poor start to the season in this sector, he has more than rectified things recently. In December, he achieved an exceptional 68% success rate (17/25) – championship and Champions League (BCL) combined. His coach Laurent Vila confirms that these figures did not come out of nowhere: “Tidjane works like crazy to be successful. The 3-point shot is something he likes, which is easy for him […] And the very high level performances are the culmination of his work. »
This advancing outside shot therefore becomes an additional weapon in Salaün’s arsenal. Even if he has already shown himself capable of making offensive cards, his consistency at 3-points will be decisive for his selection in the Draft, and for his basketball future in general. ESPN currently places him in 15th position his Top 100 best players of the 2024 vintage. Which is destined to evolve as the season progresses. The one who has never hidden his desire to play in the NBA – as when he said last May to Kyle Kuzma, then visiting La Meilleraie: “See you in two years” – is therefore getting closer and closer to his objective. Work is the key to success.
Impressive play lately from Cholet forward Tidjane Salaun #NBADraft
18 year old forward is an awesome talent that is oozing with upside and should be a potential riser in Draft circles.
Salaun is averaging 16.7 PPG in his last 4 games with shooting splits of 63/68. Coming off… pic.twitter.com/LfiQKk7sqf
— Tyler Rucker (@tyler_rucker) December 20, 2023
2023-12-31 09:37:51
#Tidjane #Salaün #innate #physical #qualities #workaholic #rest #BeBasket
