The handful of days between the end of the preseason and start of the regular season are always some tough ones around the NBA, mainly because teams have to cut players to get down to league-mandated roster requirements. Many players on non-guaranteed or Exhibit-10 contracts know what is coming, but that doesn’t necessarily make the process any easier.
“It’s all about the people, so you get to start a relationship with some guys,” said Hornets Head Coach Steve Clifford after Saturday’s practice. “On the flipside of that, [having to make moves] is obviously part of what we do. Pro sports are about change, adapting to change. Players leave, there’s free agency, they come, they go. It’s just part of dealing with the job.”
But when some doors close, others start opening and a door has opened in Charlotte for 6’4” French point guard Théo Maledon, who has officially signed a two-way contract with the organization. The 21-year-old Maledon was released by Houston last week following a trade from Oklahoma City back on Sept. 30. As a two-way player, Maledon will likely see most of his initial action in Greensboro, but could certainly earn minutes with the Hornets down the line.
“It’s been a lot, but I’m really excited to get the opportunity to be here, to settle in and get to work for sure,” says Maledon. “I’ve played against most of these guys the past two years, so I kind of know their strengths. It seems like this is a great environment to work in. Guys are committed to working and bringing good energy, so it’s really exciting to be here.”
Taken with the 34th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, Maledon was acquired by Oklahoma City in a draft-night trade with Philadelphia as part of the deal that sent Al Horford to the 76ers. Prior to arriving to the NBA, Maledon spent the previous three seasons playing in France’s Jeep Elite LNB Pro A League for ASVEL Basket, a club currently owned by former-Hornet Tony Parker.
Maledon averaged 8.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 0.8 steals in 116 games over two seasons with Thunder, 56 of those being starts. The biggest challenge for him so far has been his offensive efficiency – he’s a career 37.1% shooter and 32.2% from 3-point range. He shot 42.1% and 33.3% from behind the arc in 46 appearances with ASVEL in the 2019-20 campaign, which included clips of 45.6% and 36.7% over 22 outings in the ultra-competitive, top-tier EuroLeague.
“My abilities to play on and off the ball,” says Maledon, when asked about what skillsets he can bring to the Hornets. “That’s something I worked on this summer to just be comfortable in both positions. I think defense is always a must, especially in this league. Ability to play off the pick-and-roll, be able to knock down catch-and-shoot threes, bring leadership at the same time as a point guard. Just trying to fit in and give all that I have.”
The past few rookie classes in Oklahoma City have been pretty sizeable in terms of players being brought in and from the outside looking in, it appears there just might not have been enough developmental resources to go around for all the young Thunder players. That’s when tough decisions have to be made – it simply comes down to a numbers game.
“They’re making the decision at the end of the day,” Maledon says. “A lot of guys came in from the past draft, so they had to make choices. I think for me, to be able to be here and get a new start is the most important thing and what I’m really focused on. At the end of the day, my job is to be here, be professional and give the best that I have. If it didn’t work somewhere, then just keep on working until it works somewhere. Hopefully, that’s here.”
Back in 2019, Maledon won the LNB Pro A Best Young Player Award, joining a notable list of former winners that includes Parker, Boris Diaw, Ian Mahinmi, Nicolas Batum, Evan Fournier, Clint Capela and Frank Ntilikina. He was by far, the youngest player on the silver-medal-winning French National Team at the 2022 EuroBasket Championships last month and has rare experience starting as a teenager for an LNB Pro A League Champion and EuroLeague team.
“It was great. I played [three] games,” recalls Maledon, who hails from Rouen in the northern part of France. “That was really the first Championship I was able to participate in. It’s a great thing to play for your country at that level of FIBA Basketball. It’s such a different game, so it was really interesting to be there.”
The combination of Maledon’s youth, physical traits and extensive professional background make this pick-up a really intriguing one for Charlotte. Life in the NBA can be hard and humbling and sometimes, the fit just isn’t there initially for one reason or another. Perhaps this time around for Théo Maledon, it will be.