Work hard to regret nothing, Théo’s credo | NBA

This transformation carried out upstream of the Las Vegas summer league had not gone unnoticed on French social networks… With visibly more developed biceps and an impressive build barely masked by his “Oklahoma City” flocked chasuble, Théo Maledon has probably not been idle during his summer.

Having chosen to skip the Tokyo Olympics (with Paris 2024 probably in the lead), the young French leader of the Thunder stayed in Oklahoma to participate in the summer league, but even more so in a sacred bodybuilding program. and strengthening in general.

“It has strengthened considerably compared to last season”

“I really took advantage of this time to work as much as possible, to give myself every chance to succeed on the pitch. I feel it helps me when I carry the ball to play with more rhythm and to get to my spots faster. “

Author of a fairly convincing summer league, up to 10 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists, the former Asvel understood that his progression in the NBA would go through this. He had to “sacrifice” his summer and devote himself body and soul to bodybuilding in order to pass the milestone. The result is already impressive, and could be even more so in October.

“I think he’s improved overall. He made the decision to stay at OKC all summer to work on his game and his body. It has strengthened considerably compared to last season ”, must recognize Jaylen Hoard on the site of the Thunder. “It’s one of the things that everyone has noticed I think. “

The physique was one aspect of his game to work on, but another was the leadership on the pitch. Rather shy at first, and even more so when he arrived in the NBA at the tender age of 18, Théo Maledon gradually gained confidence over the course of his rookie season. In Las Vegas, he was expected in the management and implementation of systems, but also in general communication, on and off the field.

For a young Frenchman who arrives in an English-speaking world, it’s a process that takes a little time …

“It’s one aspect of my game that I was able to improve for my second season. I want to use the new guys who have come here who don’t know the system. I have to communicate with them to make them feel as comfortable as possible. “

“Theo is a tireless worker”

On the pitch, it went pretty well. As a playmaker, Theo Maledon has assumed his role, taking more and more initiatives in the appeal of gaming systems, to the delight of his staff.

“That’s one of the things we talked to him about. We want him to be more vocal, to take more responsibility for the group with which he shares the field. A lot of times, I didn’t call a system when it was playing ”, appreciates Kameron Woods, the summer league coach of the Thunder. “We gave him this responsibility and he progressed as the week went on. It gave him confidence and he clearly won ours along the way. “

Stronger on his supports and more resistant to contact on penetration, Theo Maledon notably made his law against the last No. 1 of the Draft, Cade Cunningham, during their summer confrontation. But it will be necessary to ensure even more against the strong ones of the circuit such as Kyle Lowry, Chris Paul, Jrue Holiday or Russell Westbrook.

“I learned a lot from my first season. It was really huge for me to have been able to play against the best leaders in the world. I’m really happy because I took each day individually and never took any matches at face value. This is something that I am very happy with. “

It is with this approach, humble and prosaic, that Theo Maledon intends to continue his rise in the NBA. “Theo is a tireless worker. Everything he does is the result of his work ” Kameron Woods concludes.