Did Tidjane Salaün show enough in preseason to earn a spot in Hornets’ main rotation?

Prior to each outing as a pro, with Thursday night’s preseason finale no different, Tidjane Salaün has one particular thing he doesn’t alter during his pregame routine.

It involves a little literature and signals how the Charlotte Hornets rookie is settling into life on this side of the pond, enamored with becoming better at his craft by digging into the mindset of the NBA’s fourth-leading scorer all time: Kobe Bryant.

“I’m reading his book,” Salaün said. “Even him, he says, yeah I can miss all the shots during the game, but I keep my confidence at the top because if I have the last shot to take, I will make it. And that’s why my confidence is rising.

“I love to shoot, so every opportunity I have, I will take the chance.”

Anybody who’s watched Salaün uncork a jumper without hesitation during the preseason will attest to that. The 19-year-old Frenchman, selected with the No. 6 pick in the NBA Draft in June, isn’t shy on offense and he possesses a pretty good skill set defensively, too.

Even though he didn’t exactly close out the preseason with a bang in Indianapolis — misfiring on all but two of his 11 attempts and posting seven points and 14 rebounds in the Hornets’ 121-116 overtime loss to Indiana at Gainbridge Fieldhouse — he’s shown plenty of flashes that leaves Hornets’ brass excited for the possibilities.

“Eye of the tiger,” Charlotte coach Charles Lee said. “The kid is fearless and works really hard. And so I’m just really glad that all he’s put into his offseason work and all the daily work that he does really paid off. He played confidently, he played physical … and he’s just scratching the surface.”

And leaving quite the impression.

“He’s confident and that’s something you really can’t teach,” Grant Williams said. “His energy, same way with his motor. That’s something that is super variable. He’s a guy that I remember when he was drafted, people said he’s three years away, he’s raw and all that. People didn’t realize how good of a shooter he is, how confident he is with the ball in his hands.

“It’s just slowing down. The game is going to get slower for him and he’ll start seeing how much of an impact he’ll make for our team, not just this year but for years. And I think he’s going to be really special honestly just because he works his tail off, and he just does a phenomenal job of bringing a joy into the locker room every single day.”

Now, the burning question is this: Was Salaün’s preseason performance good enough to earn a spot in Lee’s rotation when the Hornets regular season tips off Wednesday in Houston?

Consider it a good problem to have.

For once, the Hornets aren’t reliant on receiving significant contributions from their rookie lottery pick to be relevant. Their current depth provides Salaün with ample time to hone his skill without much external pressure while settling into a new culture and environment.

Most coaches won’t play more than 10 deep — unless foul troubles or other unforeseen circumstances warrant an in-game adjustment — for a number of reasons. That figure is even smaller during the postseason, when individual matchups become more of a focus and staffs want to ensure the core playing group is well-versed in the team’s philosophies and strategic points for that particular playoff series.

That’s why Salaün was on the outside looking in heading into training camp. All it takes is a look at the depth chart behind the starting unit of LaMelo Ball, Josh Green, Brandon Miller, Miles Bridges and Mark Williams.

Tre Mann, Grant Williams, Cody Martin, Seth Curry and Nick Richards are locks to be part of Lee’s second unit in some variation.

That’s 10.

With that in mind, it’s hard to see Salaün cracking the rotation and logging significant minutes immediately. But he’s displayed an ability to be effective in spot duty should Lee have to call on Salaün within the season’s first few weeks due to injuries, which could be a possibility given Mark Williams didn’t play in the preseason and Martin finally made his preseason debut against the Pacers as he continues working his way back from some bumps and bruises collected on the final day of training camp.

In the meantime, Salaün intends on being obsessed with daily improvement.

“It’s going to be important to keep learning,” Salaün said. “I hope to be ready when he is going to call me during the season, and for sure keep learning every day until the end.”