At 25, Jaylen Hoard took his career in a new direction by joining this summer Maccabi Tel Aviv. At the great rival of Hapoel, a club to which he made his return to Europe after three seasons trying to find his place in the NBA, the interior reached a new milestone in his career.
After 9 matches, we can already write that his debut is successful as an individual in the Euroleague since the former INSEP is both the number 2 of his team in points (13.0) and in evaluation (15.6) and also, above all, number 1 in rebounds (5.8), all with an interesting shooting percentage (51.2%) and 32 minutes of playing time enhanced by the absence of Wenyen Gabriel. All while also posting the best evaluation in the Winner League (14.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 20.8 rating).
“It was interesting to see my transition from the Eurocup to the Euroleague, to play against a lot of top players, to see where I fit in. I learn every day. Many players are very skilled and experienced. It's one of the toughest leagues in the world. It’s both stimulating and fun,” he told BasketNews.
It now remains for Maccabi Tel-Aviv to reap victories since the Israeli team, in reconstruction, has still not won away (0-5, like ASVEL and Real Madrid) and has a record 3-6 before challenging Olympiakos this Thursday evening (7 p.m.). Above all, 7 of his 9 matches ended with a difference of less than 7 points.
“The losses we suffered were largely close matches. I think as soon as our chemistry improves, we will win more matches,” he adds.
That's all we wish for the French neo-international, whose performances could well interest Frédéric Fauthoux and his staff with a view to Euro 2025.
Evan Fournier on Théo Maledon: “What happened to him in the NBA is unfortunate”
Author of his career evaluation record in the narrow defeat of ASVEL on the floor of Olympiakos, Théo Maledon received the praise of Evan Fournier.
