One of the best young prospects in Europe, Malcolm Cazalon shined bright on one of the brightest young rosters in Europe. He played the entire season as a 19 year old and averaged 8 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 2.1 APG, 0.7 SPG, and 1.5 TOPG in 21 minutes per game on shooting splits of 46/39/73. Below is his full scouting report:
Name: Malcolm Cazalon
Height/Weight: 6’6/ 186
Wingspan/ standing reach: N/A
Hand size: N/A
Position: Combo Guard
Country/ pre-draft team: France/ KK Mega Soccerbet
Tools: Shooting, frame
Pros:
- Projectable shooter
- Good off-ball awareness
- Good athlete with good size
- Tight handle
- Excellent in transition
- Potential as a finisher
- Good pick & roll passer
- Not a liability against post-ups
- Good lateral quickness and passable footspeed
Cons:
- Needs to add weight
- Can struggle to navigate through screens
- Must get better using his right hand; left hand dominant
- Shot sometimes comes out flat or lacks arc
- Needs to improve floater
- Can bite on triple threat fakes, causing him to get burned off the first step defensively
Overall:
Malcolm Cazalon is a combo guard with the ability to run in transition, create for others, and shoot at a high rate. In order to maximize his offensive skillset, Cazalon needs to develop his right hand, improve his floater/runner, and continue refining his jump shot so that it can become more consistent against closeouts. He does a great job already of running the pick & roll at just 19 years old standing at 6’6, and thrives in quick transition offense. As a guard that can play both on-ball and off-ball offensively, his value at his size with his skillset is hard to pass up. Defensively, he can guard 1-on-1 thanks to his lateral quickness and overall footspeed, and can handle post-ups in the limited sample size he had this season defending post possessions. As he learns to defend the pick & roll better, his high defensive upside will be unlocked.
Similar to: Dante Exum, Norman Powell, Shake Milton
Projected draft range: 35-undrafted
Expected role: Versatile guard that can handle 1-3 defensively, while playing both off-ball as a shooter and cutter, as well as running pick & roll and distributing for others out of drives.
Unplayable if: Jump shot doesn’t translate and his right hand doesn’t develop.
Exceeds expectations if: His defense takes off given his good frame, and he learns to navigate the pick & roll defensively. His shot translating would also be a big factor in exceeding expectations, and his drives become more ambidextrous.
