Recap/Analysis: Tidjane Salaün scores 15 in win over Heat – At The Hive

Rookie Tidjane Salaün scored 15 while LaMelo Ball and Tre Mann added 24 and 15 respectively to lead the Charlotte Hornets to a win over the Miami Heat, 111-108.

The Summary

The Hornets got off to a relatively slow start and let the Heat take an early lead. The tide started to turn when Hornets subs entered the game. They ended the first quarter with a flurry as LaMelo Ball and Seth Curry alternated five 3-point shots to give the Hornets an edge heading into quarter two. Tre Mann backed up his strong preseason debut with a good second quarter in which he attacked the basket and created looks for himself off the dribble. The teams went back and forth in a relatively uneventful second quarter, and the Heat led by four.

The Heat went to the bench for the second half while the Hornets kept their same lineup minus Josh Green. The teams played another ho-hum quarter until the deeper benches came in. Tidjane Salaün hit three threes and scored 10 points in the final few minutes of the quarter. The Hornets went into the fourth up by six. The final period was played by mostly back-of-the-roster guys and rookies. He made for sloppy basketball with lots of turnovers, blocked shots, and fouls. The Heat narrowed the gap, but Salaün hit another three to temporarily help stem the tide. The Heat briefly took the lead late, but Salaün hit a long two point jumper and DaQuan Jeffries had a steal and slam to give Charlotte the lead for good. Moussa Diabate sealed the win with a block and a free throw.

The Good

If the growth we saw between summer league and preseason is suggestive of his career arc, the Hornets got themselves a player in Tidjane Salaün. He’s far from a finished product, but the development in just a couple of months is noticeable. His handle is tighter, he plays more under control, and the 3-point shots are going in. He hit four triples, including two in which he created space for himself by using his shoulder to nudge away his defender and pulling up without the need for a dribble. He added eight rebounds and three assists as well. It’s just preseason, but he’s definitely produced more than I think people expected at this point. It was also really cool to see his teammates hyping up while he was doing his postgame interview on the court.

Tre Mann has looked really, really strong in the first two preseason games. The throwback style seems to have given him a swagger boost. He’s been more aggressive attacking the basket than we saw last season. He even scored on Jimmy Butler one on one a couple of times. This version of Mann can be a huge boost for the Hornets off the bench.

LaMelo Ball had another very good game. He got hot from deep in the first half and did his usual stat stuffing. He finished with a team high +19 plus-minus, and that’s not a coincidence. Charles Lee talked about wanting to see more defensive competitiveness from LaMelo. He seems to have bought in so far. He fought through a screen and forced a jump ball, which he won. That’s not a play we’ve seen much from him over the years.

I thought KJ Simpson had some nice moments. He made a couple of standout defensive plays and did a good job getting to the line.

The Hornets attempted 51 threes out of their 92 shot attempts. That’s inevitably going to lead some cold nights, but it’s also going to allow the team chances to get hot and run away with games. It’s a welcome sight after watching the team struggle to get spot up looks last season while favoring unproductive drives into traffic.

The Bad

Brandon Miller had a real rough shooting night, going 1-of-10 from three and 2-of-13 from the field. We know he can shoot, so nothing to worry about there. He still found other ways to contribute as well.

What’s Next

The Hornets hit the road for their final three preseason games. That starts on Thursday against the Grizzlies.