Maledon's Drop in Production Could be Deciding Factor in his Future

Theo Maledon has struggled to maintain a role in his time in OKC and it has led to a cloudy future.

There are plenty of ways to describe Theo Maledon’s Thunder career to this point.

Up and down, probably does it the best. He’s shown flashes of why the Thunder drafted him, but he’s also shown instances where his role is in question.

He’s played a variety of roles throughout his time at Oklahoma City. He’s been figuratively promoted and demoted both due to his play and due to forces out of his control.

Maledon, now approaching the 2022 regular season, is in the tightest spot of his career. His spot on a roster, at least in OKC, is in jeopardy. OKC is over the roster threshold and needs to shed players.

Maledon is on the short list.

The biggest reason is the position he plays, which for the most part is out of his control. He plays guard, the Thunder are loaded at the position. They will most likely start three of them. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lu Dort and Josh Giddey will be in the starting lineup, at least at the beginning of the season.

Maledon’s first year saw him in a starting role. He played in 65 games and started 49 of them. He averaged 10.1 points, 3.5 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game. However the shooting wasn’t all that flashy. He shot 36.8% from the field and a 33.5% clip from 3-point range.

It wasn’t the best but he played a nice role and showed some promise to his future in OKC. However, his second NBA season saw that promise fade into the background. He played in 51 games and started just seven. His bigger roles came late in the season when the Thunder were injured and crawling to the finish line.

When OKC was healthy, Maledon's role was replaceable. He was a role player off the bench who just provided some minutes for starters to rest. He averaged 7.1 points per game and less than three rebounds and assists.

His field goal percentage improved slightly up to 37.5% but he was shooting three shots less per game. His 3-point shooting percentage, though, tanked. He finished last season shooting just 29.3% from beyond the arc.

Maledon’s role shrunk and his stats took a hit. It’s undeniable it’s impacted his outlook for his future with OKC. Maledon will have to battle with, likely, Ty Jerome for one of the final roster spots.

Maledon’s lack of production and limited role may make him the likely victim of the overloaded roster, but he’s got age working in his favor. He’s only been in the league two full seasons.

Maledon will have to take a step forward soon to remain in Oklahoma City for the future. 

---

Want to join the discussion? Like SI Thunder on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.