OKC Thunder: Theo Maledon shows poise at the start of his career

When the OKC Thunder drafted Theo Maledon with the 34th pick of the 2020 NBA draft, they got a steal.

The second round of the draft is very hit and miss. You could pick up a star like Marc Gasol or Nick Van Exel or you could draft a player who never sees the hardwood as an NBA player. Theo Maledon has already played for the OKC Thunder and, with this time, has impressed.

The 19-year-old Frenchman has already shown glimpses of the talent that led to him being drafted which is impressive as he has only played a handful of games. His ball-handling has been solid with impressive decision making aided by phenomenal court vision.

In order to assess what they have drafted in Maledon, the Thunder have played him for 21.5 minutes per game, averaging 5.8 points, 2.2 assists, and 0.8 steals in that time.

Make no mistake about it, these are tremendous numbers for a rookie point guard on a rebuilding team.

Looking at the games played by Theo Maledon for the OKC Thunder

The only way to describe Maledon’s first game in the league was solid.

He played 20 minutes and collected four points, two assists, and two steals. He would have had more assists had the shots been made. His ability to find the open man is uncanny. The biggest drawback of this game was the four turnovers.

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In the second game, Maledon played 20 minutes again, collecting six points, two assists, and a steal.

Two consecutive plays stood out. Maledon hit the 3-ball at one end and then on the next defensive possession was on the ball fighting for and winning the ball.

He was able to get the ball out to a teammate who then found Hamidou Diallo for the dunk. The Thunder led 87-84.

He helped get a stop and also helped the team get five straight points which changed the momentum. He also learned from the previous game, only turning the ball over three times.

Then, in the third game, Maledon collected seven points, three assists and collected his first rebound, again in 20 minutes. He lowered the turnover count to two but struggled with his 3-point shooting, making 1-of-5 from deep.

The French native then showed that he is going to work hard at every opportunity.

In the fourth game of the season, he had six points and five rebounds to go along with two assists.

He again had a poor night from deep going 2-of-7.

Regardless of the numbers, what the first week of the season has shown is that Maledon has the potential to be a fixture in the OKC Thunder lineup for years. He has shown the court vision, shooting, and desperation on defense which see him be a solid contributor in the league for years to come.