VILLEURBANNE, France — ASVEL’s club spokesman hustles through the hallways of the L’Astroballe arena, leading the way to Theo Maledon. There is a brief opening in Maledon’s packed workout schedule, and this is the best chance to catch the French teenage star. Time can’t be wasted on walking at a leisurely pace.
Arriving at the red-floored exercise room, the spokesman spots Maledon in the back corner. He has a resistance band wrapped around his ankle, and he is pulling it thin with short, stunted sideways shuffles away from the wall. The 6-foot-4 guard, back at work after rehabilitating a shoulder injury, has been in here for an hour since an extended team practice ended. He will momentarily take a break before watching film on his own time and preparing for his team’s afternoon session.
“Theo,” says the spokesman, Bastien Giffon, “is the king of extra work.”
The people who know him describe Maledon as an…
