OKC Thunder: Theo Maledon first half growth is palpable

The OKC Thunder have had a surprisingly solid start to the season. Theo Maledon has been a big part of their success. The French rookie has had roles with both the reserve unit and then the starters and grown with almost every game.

He is averaging 7.8 points, 3.3 assists, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.0 steals in 25.7 minutes per game. He is shooting the ball at 39.4 percent from the floor, 35.4 percent from deep, and 75.0 percent from the line. These are all impressive stats for a rookie, particularly a second-round draft pick.

OKC Thunder benefitted from some remarkable performances by Theo Maledon.

The OKC Thunder are seeing how good Theo Maledon is as a starter…

Diving deeper into the difference between his role as a starter and a reserve we see true growth. As a reserve, he averaged 6.0 points, 2.7 assists, 2.3 rebounds, and 0.6 steals in19.8 minutes per game, shooting at 36.5 percent from the floor, 28.8 percent from deep, and 45.5 percent from the line.

As a starter, Maledon is averaging 9.4 points, 3.9 assists 3.6 rebounds, and 1.4 steals in 31.3 minutes per game. It would be easy to assume the rise in raw numbers is due to increased playing time. However, his efficiency is also much improved. He is shooting at 41.8 percent from the floor, 40.0 percent from deep, and 90.5 percent from the line.

Maledon has scored ten points or more in ten contests this season, none better than his 24 point effort against the Brooklyn Nets. He went 8-of-9 from the floor and a perfect 6-of-6 from deep. This gave OKC Thunder fans a glimpse of the future.

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The French rookie was best known for his passing ability prior to the draft. He has five assists or more on six occasions.

His 12 assists in his recent double-double against the Atlanta Hawks was the pick of the bunch. He was not shooting well on the night but made up for it with his play-making, which shows that he can impact the game on multiple levels.

Where Maledon has surprised the most is on the other side of the ball. He has six games where he has stolen the ball two times or more. He had a game against the San Antonio Spurs where he stole the ball four times and then even more impressively had six steals in the win against the Houston Rockets.

Maledon is showing with all the above numbers that he has a tremendous feel for the game. He knows how to get to his spots and finds players who are open who do not know that they are themselves. The future is bright for the OKC Thunder with Maledon on the team.