There is nothing to do, he reminds someone: a certain Tony Parker. Normand like him, born in Rouen in June 2001 practically the day when the future quadruple NBA champion was drafted by San Antonio, Théo Maledon, plays playmaker. Like him, he went through Insep (National Institute of Sport, of expertise and performance). In 2017, our newspaper had named him among the “Talents of the Parisian”, these young nuggets called to shine. Maledon spent two years (2017 to 2019) at Asvel, the club whose owner is called… Tony Parker. As for its elder, the NBA did not immediately roll out the red carpet at the feet of the adopted Parisian, drafted only in the second round in 34th position by Philadelphia who sent him in penance to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Reach back like one three, like one three 🤯 # ThéoMaledon ➡️ @ ToBrad1 pic.twitter.com/lV6MKz8DnX
- OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) April 15, 2021
A few games later, at just 19, Maledon is the starting point guard for his franchise taking advantage of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's injury.
The last Frenchman to have achieved this feat so young was called… TP.
“Theo is a Tony bis, it's very clear, confirms Nicolas Batum, the ally of the Los Angeles Clippers and captain of the France team.
Mentally, beyond the player, it's the same.
He knows where he wants to go, what to do and what not to do.
Théo is one of the most mature kids I have come across in my career.
"
An example ?
Théo Maledon is absent from social networks.
He does not have a Twitter account and his Instagram has less than 10 posts and none are recent.
This is rare for a kid under 20 who might already have thousands of followers.
"I knew him at 16-17 years old at Asvel," continues Nicolas Batum.
He's someone you don't dare say anything to because you feel like he already knows it.
"
"For me, age does not matter"
Sparkling like the lightning that symbolizes his straightforwardness, Maledon is quick in everything.
Even against the Covid: quarantined in January for 10 days as part of the health protocol, he has been vaccinated since the beginning of April in a state which allows it to people over 16 years old.
Nothing, not even the virus and empty rooms, can prevent this kid from making his way for the moment.
“For the moment, the adaptation is going well, but it is not finished, he said in video a few days ago.
And for me, age doesn't matter: I'm used to people saying I'm precocious since I started.
"
First 5.
Presented by @EnableMidstream pic.twitter.com/xi2Ewgmcnc
- OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) April 15, 2021
It is fearlessly and without giving the impression of being a 19-year-old teenager that the shy and discreet kid off the court advances in the big league at lightning speed.
Selected for the French team in 2019 at only 17 years and 8 months old, French champion the same year with Asvel, Théo Maledon is the new star of a French basketball who does not lack.
A very big basketball IQ
“He has a very high basketball IQ, concedes Jacques Monclar, the voice of the NBA on BeIN Sports. The two years of Euroleague he played with Asvel have been a treasure for him. To be a holder so quickly in the NBA is really good. I don't like to compare, but what happened to him happened to Parker in his day. Théo scores, gets things done, progresses, wins matches; he adapted well. I was wondering if he could adapt to the speed of the NBA. You don't realize it on TV, but the speed of these guys is mind-blowing. Clearly, Theo has obtained this speed which is the first criterion to play in the NBA. "
In the footsteps of TP his mentor, Maledon became at the beginning of April the youngest French player to cross the 30 points mark in a single match. The Frenchie is also in the offering like this day in February where he distributed 12 assists, a record for the Thunder franchise. The last one who had done it so young was called… Russell Westbrook, the current best point guard in the NBA. “What happens to him is deserved, explains Jacques Monclar, 201 selections for the French team. He was expected in the draft between 10th and 20th place and finally, he was only taken in 34th choice. Theo was taken by the Thunder to be a perfect complement to Gilgeous-Alexander and he knew how to put the baskets he needed, be present in defense and do well what others do not like to do. "
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It is also one of the qualities of the young man: not to pull the cover to him, never to be impressed by the physical monsters and the legends of the game that he has already challenged - James, Antetokounmpo, Durant, etc.
From the height of his 1.93 m, he looked them in the eye with a determination that impresses the old hands.
"Did I ask them to exchange my jersey with them?"
Of course not.
The only thing I want from these players is to beat them, ”he smiles.
"It will be very interesting to follow"
Théo Maledon has been brilliant since the start of the year but obviously that doesn't mean anything. An NBA career is built over time, with personal titles and distinctions. He is still far from it, but to succeed in a career, you must also succeed in your start. And that is done. “He is indeed making a very good start, admires Nicolas Batum. He understood the NBA system very well right away, what to do about it. The club trust him and he has fallen into the perfect franchise. With the draft, who cares when you're picked? What is important is which team you fall in, and Theo fell very, very well. He is clearly in the project if not THE project of a franchise that wants to rebuild itself with talented kids like him. It will be very interesting to follow in the coming years.“And why not this summer at the Olympic Games.