Many mock drafts have the Oklahoma City Thunder taking Barcelona guard Leandro Bolmaro.
NBC Sports’ recent mock draft projects them to go with a different international guard.
Theo Maledon, who played for ASVEL in France, was available with the No. 25 pick in the draft, so the Thunder swiped him up.
Maledon played in LNB Pro A and Euroleague. During the latter, he averaged 7.4 points and 3.1 assists in 17.7 minutes per game.
A. Sherrod Blakely, who reports for Boston’s branch of NBC Sports, wrote:
The Thunder will continue to bolster its depth on the perimeter, adding one of the best international prospects in this year’s draft. Maledon is a combo guard who won’t wow you with his athleticism, but he’s a smart, heady player who is in his element in the pick-and-roll, a staple of every NBA team’s offense.
Maledon needs to work on some aspects of his game including quickness and shooting, but that 3-point shot may be there — he shot 36.7% from behind the arc during Euroleague, a difference of seven percent from his 29.4% in LNB Pro A.
There are a few guards projected to go in this range of the draft, including Maledon, Bolmaro, Nico Mannion, Tre Jones and Tyrell Terry.
If Maledon is available when Oklahoma City is on the clock, he would be an option to add as another guard in the backcourt and potential future partner next to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
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