Théo Maledon took advantage of his first NBA offseason | NBA

On vacation since mid-May, knowing that his Thunder was already light years from the playoffs, Théo Maledon was finally able to breathe.

Landed in the NBA in conditions far from obvious, without training camp or upstream summer league, the young French leader took advantage of his first American offseason to take stock and finally settle down a little.

“We talked about it between us because last year was pretty crazy. We had two or three days of training camp, two or three preseason games, and we were off! It’s good to have a full summer to have time to work on what I have to work on, to prepare myself well for this new season. “

“A good opportunity for me to be one of the main players of the team”

In this case, Theo Maledon was able to participate in the summer league where he was rather convincing with 10 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds on average. A good trial run to measure the distance accomplished, but also to identify the work still to be done.

“It was a good experience, something we were discussing with the team and which was one of my goals for the offseason. It was a good opportunity for me to be one of the main players of the team and to have to lead the others well. It was nice to be able to lead the guys and learn to master this role a little more. “

But before resuming work, Theo Maledon was still able to return home to find his loved ones. The former Asvel was able to return to his native Normandy where he was welcomed with open arms and, with a whole host of small homemade dishes.

“I returned to France for two or three weeks just after the season, to see my family and reunite with my loved ones. I had a great time with them and came home after that to get back to work. My mother took good care of me, I was able to have one of my favorite dishes, a typical dish from Guadeloupe, Dombré. “

” I went [en musculation] every day as if it were the last day before the season ”

Not the type to stay with both feet in the same shoe, Théo Maledon quickly returned to theaters. And that of bodybuilding in particular. The young French leader has certainly refused to go to the Olympics but he has not wasted his time. On the contrary…

“I took things from day to day. I could have told myself that there were two months before the recovery and rest, or go more quiet some weeks. But I went [en musculation] every day as if it was the day before the recovery. This is how I prepared, I continued my effort day after day. “

Visibly stronger, the Frenchman is preparing for his second season, during which he will have to confirm. This is often the most difficult to do, because the opposing defenses are now aware of your favorite trends and therefore await you at the turn. But Théo Maledon has more than one trick up his sleeve.

“It’s one of the strengths of my game. I’m not a single position player, I don’t have just one string to my bow. I can play in multiple positions and it’s something I’ve been doing for a while. Growing up, I often played with full backs who could also ride the ball. In my professional career in France too, I often played with another fullback. It’s just a matter of being useful and knowing how to move without a ball. And when you get it back, make the right decisions. “