OKC Thunder: 3 season goals for Theo Maledon in 2020-21

Now that the OKC Thunder have finalized the trade with the Philadelphia 76ers, let’s look at the 3 season goals for rookie Theo Maledon.

The OKC Thunder front office has been the busiest of the entire NBA. They have cleared out two-thirds of last season’s playing roster and then moved on some of the returns they got in those trades. It has been like watching a masterpiece conducted by the virtuoso Sam Presti.

The trades in question so that the Thunder could land the 19-year-old Theo Maledon showed how Presti has conducted himself this offseason. He traded Dennis Schroder to the Los Angeles Lakers in return for Danny Green and a first-round pick.

Presti then traded two of his plethora of first-round picks to the Boston Celtics for Vincent Poirier. Green and Poirier were then packaged with Terrance Ferguson to land Al Horford,  Vasilije Micić, and Maledon.

How Theo Maledon helps the OKC Thunder.

Being just 19 years of age, Maledon has the chance to grow into a role with the Thunder. He just signed his rookie deal with the franchise so contractually he has up to four years to learn and grow into a quality NBA prospect.

Maledon is a point guard like the team’s next star, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. However, this will not be an issue as Gilgeous-Alexander has already shown that he can play off the ball last season when he played in a three-guard lineup with Schroder and Chris Paul. The team now has time to build chemistry between their young stars as it goes through a rebuild.

Season goal for Theo Maledon No. 1) Get comfortable with his surroundings

Like Aleksej Pokusevski, who was the other pick taken in the 2020 NBA draft, Maledon needs to get comfortable with his new surroundings. A French native, Maledon now has to get used to a different country, different language, and a different basketball league.

At 19, this can not be an easy prospect but Maledon has been mentored by ex-San Antonio Spurs legend Tony Parker. This is one of the best things that could have happened for Maledon as Parker, who is also a French native, was able to come over to the United States for a long and successful career.

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Parker was part of the trio of players who has the record for most wins in NBA history, so Maledon could not have had a better mentor. The similarities between the two players are uncanny. Parker was taken with the 28th pick, Maledon was the 34th pick. Both also come into the NBA at 19 years of age.

Both players also ended up in a similar location in the United States so Maledon has a potential leg up on other players in his situation. Hopefully, this means that Maledon can acclimatize faster and show his potential earlier as a result.

Season goal for Theo Maledon No. 2) Establish himself in the rotation

While this is the goal of every player, Maledon has the potential to set up his career in the next two seasons. He is already an intelligent player with the ball in his hands or playing off the ball. He is also a tremendous pick and roll or pick and pop player, as long as he has the ball in his hands.

It is not unusual for internationally-based players to fall lower in the draft than those who went through college. As mentioned earlier, Parker was taken with the 28th pick, Rudy Gobert was the 27th pick in the 2013 NBA draft.

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While being international and taken around pick 30 does not guarantee you success in the league, there is some decent history there. This alone should get Maledon more playing time as the Thunder assess their future prospects over the next two seasons.

If Maledon can establish chemistry with Gilgeous-Alexander, Pokusevski, Darius Bazley, and the other young Thunder players, he will cement his place in the rotation. Before Covid-19 hit, Maledon was on pace to win the Euroleague rising star award which has been won by several NBA stars like Luka Doncic and Danilo Gallinari.

If Maledon can come near this level then he should easily establish himself in the rotation.

Season goal for Theo Maledon No. 3) Lead the OKC Thunder in assists this season

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Leading the Thunder in assists this season may seem like a lofty goal considering that his second goal was to establish himself in the rotation. However, there is something special about Maledon’s passing ability and court vision which is extraordinary in a 19-year-old.

He is the best passer in the class, Maledon has the potential to become one of the best passing point guards the Thunder have ever had in their uniform. As stated earlier, Maledon is a tremendous player in the pick and roll or pick and pop half-court sets.

He is going to be able to set up Horford, Pokusevski, Gilgeous-Alexander amongst others. I would love to see Luguentz Dort setting hard picks before rolling to the hoop. Maledon has the ability to thread passes and Dort has the ability to finish at the rim.

However, where Maledon will be tremendous is in transition. He makes the right pass at the right time and the Thunder are going to be a young team that runs the floor hard. Maledon should be the puppet master, pulling the strings on all transition offense baskets when he is on the floor.