By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Moving his talents to North America, Karlo Matkovic penned an NBA G League contract with the Birmingham Squadron. The affiliate team of the New Orleans Pelicans acquired his rights via the NBA draft since the parent club selected him with the 52nd overall pick of the 2022 NBA draft.
Matkovic, 22, departed Cedevita Olimpija. But his path to the NBA was unclear, whether he would directly join the Pelicans or take another route. The promising big was placed on the roster of the Squadron and will be looking to continue developing and play in the G League at the bottom end of the 2023-24 campaign.
Wrapping up the spell with the team based in Ljubljana, he tallied 14.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 0.9 steals per game in the BKT EuroCup. Productive displays in the AdmiralBet ABA League led the Croatian big to 15.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.8 blocks, and 1.3 steals per game.
Meanwhile, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Detroit Pistons waived French shooting guard Malcolm Cazalon. The Roanne native was limited to three minutes of action in the NBA since inking a two-way contract in July. However, he played in the NBA 2K24 Summer League and averaged 8.4 points per G League contest with the Motor City Cruise.
Cazalon, 22, went undrafted in 2023. Like fellow French compatriots Killian Hayes and Frank Ntilikina becoming free agents over recent weeks, returning to Europe can emerge as an option.
Photo Credit: ABA-Liga.com