The 2020 NBA Draft will be an important event for teams to build for their future. Here is the Theo Maledon 2020 NBA Draft Profile.
Background
Position: Point Guard
Size: 6-foot-5, 180 pounds
Country: France
Class: N/A
Maledon is one of a few interesting prospects in the 2020 NBA Draft from France. He is a young, developmental prospect, but with time could turn into a good NBA player.
His time in France has been spent with ASVEL, who he made the second-youngest debut for. He got a little experience in the 2017-2018 season, but really started to see the floor the next season. Maledon has played last season with ASVEL as well. Over his career, he averaged 6.4 points and 2.1 assists per game. He has also won medals with the youth teams for France and made appearances for the French National Team.
The 18-year-old has a few seasons of professional basketball under his belt and is ready to take his shot at the NBA level. He is expected to be selected in the middle of the first round of the 2020 NBA Draft.
Strengths
Maledon is a great playmaker on the offensive side of the ball. He can push the ball in transition and find the open man on the run. In halfcourt offense, Maledon can penetrate and get into the middle of the lane before finding the open man for an easy basket. With more reps, Maledon can effectively run an NBA offense and create for his whole team.
While he isn’t a player who will generate a lot of blocks or steals, Maledon is a solid defender. He shows the ability to be a good perimeter defender, as he can stay in front of his man and he can cut off penetration. Maledon also understands team defense and can rotate and switch when necessary, which increases his defensive value.
He is a solid athlete for the point guard position. Maledon shows good speed and quickness, which helps him both on offense and defense. This is what allows him to stay in front of his man on defense. On offense, he can get past his man and get to the basket well. His athleticism also allows him to get up and down the floor in transition.
Weaknesses
His percentages from the floor are solid, as he shot 50 percent from two-point range and 34.6 percent from three-point range over his career, but he is a streaky shooter. He can get hot and cold at different times and needs to learn how to be more consistent. If he can start hitting these shots more consistently, he can be trusted to be on the floor more in the NBA.
He needs to be more assertive on offense. It is great that he is an unselfish player that wants to set up his teammates well, but he needs to make the right play all the time and sometimes that means he needs to shoot the ball himself. Being more confident in his own ability to score, while still being unselfish will make him a better offensive player.
Like a lot of other players in this class, Maledon needs to fill out his frame with some strength. This will help him guard better, but most importantly, this will help him get into the middle of a defense better. Once he is there, he should be able to finish at a higher rate or draw fouls, something he has struggled to do over his career.
Projected Draft Range: Mid-First Round Pick
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