Duke freshman big man Khaman Maluach is jumping to the NBA, where he could be a top-10 pick in the June draft.
The Blue Devils announced Sunday in a social media post that the 7-foot-2, 250-pound Maluach would go the one-and-done route after helping the Blue Devils reach the Final Four. Underclassmen had until 11:59 p.m. ET Saturday to meet the NBA deadline to declare themselves as eligible for the draft.
“His best years are by far in front of him,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said in a video posted to social media. “I can’t wait to see what he’s going to do because he’s just scratching the surface. He has an amazing base for who he is as a player, but that skill set is just going to continue to grow.”
Maluach is an elite rim-runner who used his length to finish off lobs for easy scores or to block shots at the center of a defense that ranked among the nation’s best in KenPom’s efficiency metrics. He also showed off an ability to defend on the perimeter with Duke’s switching defense.
He averaged 8.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 71.2% from the field, though he also was reliable at the free throw line (76.6%) and made four 3-pointers to show his potential for expanded range. Maluach is still developing his skill set, but his 7-5 wingspan and 9-8 standing reach are attractive numbers for potential NBA suitors.
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In his lone season at Duke, Maluach was named to the ACC All-Rookie Team after playing some of his best basketball in his final month. He will be one of the draft’s youngest prospects, turning 19 in September.
Maluach is from South Sudan and played for his country in the 2024 Paris Olympics. He joined NBA Academy Africa in 2021, participated in the Nike Hoop Summit in April 2024 and was an ESPN five-star national recruit.
He had six points and zero rebounds in Duke’s season-ending loss to Houston in the national semifinals on April 5. That same day, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States was revoking all visas held by South Sudanese passport holders, creating uncertainty about Maluach’s immigration situation, though there have been no updates or changes to that announcement.
Duke spokesman Frank Tramble issued a statement April 5 saying the school was aware of the announcement and looking into the situation to understand “any implications for Duke students.”
Maluach is the fourth Duke player to make an early jump to the NBA draft, starting with freshman wing Kon Knueppel and junior guard Tyrese Proctor. Last week, freshman star Cooper Flagg joined the list and is the favorite to be the No. 1 pick.
The Blue Devils will lose all five starters, with graduate transfer Sion James departing as well, though Scheyer’s program has ESPN’s No. 1-ranked recruiting class as of January, led by twins Cameron and Cayden Boozer.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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