Washington (United States) (AFP) – For his third season in the NBA, Frenchman Tidjane Salaün has set several objectives: to establish himself as the understudy of Charlotte Hornets power forward Naz Reid and to be inspired by his sister, Janelle, who won her first WNBA title on Saturday.

Published on: 01/11/2026 - 08:37

“I feel confident, I must now fully have that of the coach, and it does not come overnight, it is in the long term. But I feel good on the field and I must continue like that,” declared the 21-year-old Habs to AFP on Friday, on the sidelines of the defeat against the Washington Wizards (95-79).

The interior, who averages 5.4 points and 3.4 rebounds at the start of the season, wants to establish himself permanently in the rotation, after two seasons spent between the NBA and the G-League, the development championship.

In Charlotte, he wants to "establish himself as the replacement for Naz (Reid, the incumbent strong winger). There is no other solution, I have to show that I am better than the others. And have fun on the field, defend hard against my opponent", affirms Tidjane Salaün.

The Hornets began a new cycle this season, transferring their star LaMelo Ball to Minnesota to give the keys to the team to young Kon Knueppel and Brandon Miller.

“Absolute pride”

A choice which seems to be paying off in the first matches, with three victories for three defeats, despite the absences of several major players such as the backs Knueppel or Coby White, both injured.

“It’s a new team, there is still chemistry to build, trust each other, put our shots in and continue to defend well,” underlines Salaün.

“My role is to be the facilitator, bring the energy when I come in, the rhythm, take a shot when the opportunity presents itself, take an offensive rebound, make the extra pass. A bit of a continuation of last year,” he explains.

But the most important thing remains his defensive contribution: “I am expected to be able to defend against everyone. And I worked a lot on that this summer, by strengthening myself physically.”

“We have to continue to defend hard, it's very good if we manage to keep the teams under 100 points. Afterwards, it's just a question of shooting efficiency,” insists Tidjane Salaün.

Alongside his season, he is keeping an eye on that of his sister, Janelle, interior player for the Golden State Valkyries who won the WNBA title on Saturday at home against Atlanta.

A match that Tidjane Salaün was not able to follow, since he was on the floor of the Sixers of LeBron James and Jaylen Brown.

“I have absolute pride for her,” says the Parisian about his sister who became the first Frenchwoman to win an individual title in the WNBA, named best sixth player of the year this season.

“She remained straight and strong, even if it was very hard mentally. This title shows her determination,” he notes.

“I’m just inspired by her. What she does is very strong,” smiles the Hornets player.

© 2026 AFP

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