The next big time international prospect that will hit this 2020 NBA Mock Draft is a very lengthy point guard that also has a great offensive arsenal with France native and point guard Theo Maledon. What bodes well for an international prospect like Maledon is the fact that he would actually come over with a fairly refined offensive skill set and shooting ability.
In the past two NBA Drafts alone, France sent out two highly touted first round picks that seemingly have or had very high ceilings at the time. Thus far, lengthy point guard Frank Ntilikina has not panned out for the Knicks. But he could be on the move soon and a change of scenery outside of the Big Apple could do him well.
The other big time French prospect that came out in the 2019 NBA Draft was mid-level first round pick of the Detroit Pistons, forward Sekou Doumbouya. If the Pistons are able to make it work out with Doumbouya in the next season or two, it will impact and boost the stock of talented future draft prospects like Maledon.
It makes a lot of sense for the Pelicans to take a flier out on Maledon since he could fill a combo guard role for the future next to Lonzo. Depending on whether general manager David Griffin wants to keep veteran standout point guard Jrue Holiday around beyond the 2019-20 season, Maledon could find himself in a nice role right away in NOLA.