Theo Maledon - 2020 NBA Draft Prospect

[timvp]

https://i.imgur.com/saDjiNr.png

Theo Maledon

Country: France
Position: PG/SG
Age: 19
Height: 6-foot-5
Weight: 180 pounds
Draft Range: 14 to 30

Why: Tony Parker's hand-crafted protégé has a very high basketball IQ and a strong feel for the game. Patient and effective running pick-and-rolls. Good court vision. Has a myriad of floaters and finishing moves in the paint; can finish with either off either foot. Shot 36.7% on threes in Euroleague. Uses his 6-foot-9 wingspan well on defense and has a high ceiling on that end of the court. Very hard worker with sterling character marks.

Why Not: Doesn't have much pop as an athlete. Isn't overly quick and doesn't elevate well in traffic. Tends to fade into the background too easily. Was expected to take a bigger step in his development this year but he didn't (though a shoulder injury could be partially to blame). Not yet a notable scorer or playmaker. Inconsistent, low volume three-point shooter. Defensive impact limited by too many fouls and too few steals.

Spurs Fit: If the Spurs draft him, he's smart enough to step into a bench role early on. However, he really needs more confidence and to expand his game by shouldering more responsibility so the best way to do that would probably be in the G League.

Spurs Comparison - Ceiling: Bigger, Longer George Hill

Spurs Comparison - Floor: Jason Hart

Statistics (https://www.basketball-reference.com/international/players/theo-maledon-1.html)
Highlights (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUVXqeiVfsk)
Interview (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSyisO1o2ks)

[Dejounte]

Are you trying to hint at something, timvp? Are you hearing talks that the Spurs are drafting a PG?

Any news, MoSpur?

[R. DeMurre]

Please Jesus, don't let this team draft a player under 6'6".

[RC_Drunkford]

Interesting profile, but I think Weatherspoon will be a George Hill type player. We don't need more guards

[Dejounte]

Interesting profile, but I think Weatherspoon will be a George Hill type player. We don't need more guards

Exactly. Why invest in another George Hill type prospect when we already have two (Murray and Weatherspoon)?

It would be a different thing if it was a different type of PG, one that is explosive and/or crafty.

[widowmaker]

Looks like a french DJ Murray yep that’s exactly what this team needs. I wonder if the Spurs can sign a midget as well cause that’s exactly what they need too.

[DAF86]

Looks like a french DJ Murray yep that’s exactly what this team needs. I wonder if the Spurs can sign a midget as well cause that’s exactly what they need too.

Crafty, good vision, finisher and pick and roll player. Not very Athletic. Sounds the opposite of Murray to me, tbh.

Still wouldn't draft him, or any other of the seemingly thousands of combo guards that are rumoured to be drafted in the mid first round.

[Degoat]

I wouldn’t hate this pick but I wouldn’t love it either. Like most I want a big wing or a big man

[BackHome]

Nope I would hate this pick at 11.

[widowmaker]

Crafty, good vision, finisher and pick and roll player. Not very Athletic. Sounds the opposite of Murray to me, tbh.

Still wouldn't draft him, or any other of the seemingly thousands of combo guards that are rumoured to be drafted in the mid first round.

saddiq bey

[Russ]

This is the type of player that would look good at where the Spurs usually draft, in the 20's.

But now he's a tweener -- maybe too much of a reach at 11 and gone by 41.

Sometimes arbitrary factors like that rule out an interesting player (barring moves in draft order).

[ZeusWillJudge]

This is the type of player that would look good at where the Spurs usually draft, in the 20's.

But now he's a tweener -- maybe too much of a reach at 11 and gone by 41.

Sometimes arbitrary factors like that rule out an interesting player (barring moves in draft order).


I think that sums it up pretty well. A month ago a lot of sites were talking about Maledon and Killian Hayes in the same sentence. Some even had Maledon going higher than Hayes. I never thought that was believable, and the mocks are catching up to that. I think he brings everything to the PG position that Terry Rozier did - which means not much at all, other than as a backup of necessity. He can't shoot as well as Rozier, and doesn't defend nearly as well. But he's tall and has a bigger wingspan. The Spurs already have better 2 guards.

I can't imagine him going as high as 11.

[look_at_g_shred]

Absolutely not

[spurspl]

plz no