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French prospect Maledon declares for NBA draft

Tolga Adanali / Euroleague Basketball / Getty

Theo Maledon, a French point guard who plays for ASVEL in France's domestic league and the EuroLeague, has declared for the NBA draft, he told ESPN's Jonathan Givony on Sunday.

The 18-year-old is projected to be a first-round pick, and a lottery team could select him. The Athletic's Sam Vecenie slots the 6-foot-4 ball-handler in as the 15th pick in his mock draft. ESPN also ranks him 15th on its list of best available players.

The international prospect averaged 7.4 points and 3.1 assists in 22 EuroLeague games this season. In France's top domestic league, the LNB Pro A, he was recording 6.5 points, two rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game for ASVEL, a team tied for first place when the coronavirus pandemic paused the season indefinitely.

Maledon has also played for France's senior national team. Though he wasn't named in Les Bleus' final squad for the 2019 FIBA World Cup, he made his senior international debut during the tournament's European qualifiers.

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