Milwaukee Bucks NBA Draft Prospect Watch: Theo Maledon

Strengths

Even at just 18 years old, Maledon’s feel and overall understanding of the game is quite strong, especially with the ball in his hands.

The Rouen native already possesses a knack for controlling the pace and making advanced reads, whether it’s finding open shooters in the corner in the face of crowded defenders or dropping off the rock for big men ready for the defense to collapse in the pick-and-roll. While Maledon was far from a primary focal point in ASVEL’s offense, his clean decision making with the ball is still strong for his age, as evidenced by his 1.68 assist-to-turnover ratio this year.

It was Maledon’s standing as an adequate, albeit developing, shooter that stood out the most this season, even through his ups and downs. That held up even among EuroLeague competition this season where Maledon went 18-for-49 from three under that competition, good for 36.7 percent.

On the other side of the ball, Maledon provides great size, foot speed and a reported 6’8″ wingspan that theoretically makes him an impactful defender and offers up some potential to cover both guard spots as he continues to grow his game.

The fact that all of these assets in Maledon’s promising skill set have shown in one of the biggest competitions around the world does give him an edge in experience over most other high-profile prospects.