Duke’s freshman center is just 17 but is playing well against much older guys
The biggest buzz about Duke this year, unquestionably, involves Cooper Flagg. The freshman from Maine has been called a generational talent. His recent star turn with the Select Team and his performance against Team USA cranked the hype up another notch or two. He’s widely expected to be the first pick in next summer’s NBA Draft.
But what if he’s not?
What if the #1 pick is a Duke teammate?
We’re referring to freshman Khaman Maluach of course. The 7-2 native of South Sudan is on his way to Paris with the Bright Stars and they stopped off in London for some exhibitions games.
Friday saw South Sudan take on Great Britain and after that one, or possibly before, it’s not clear, this was posted on X:
Report out of South Sudan Pre-Olympic camp on Khaman Maluach
— Zion O. (@DukeNBA) July 19, 2024
- Has to grow a lot more
- Struggles: Hands, Finishing through contact
- Strength: “Defense is A1. NBA Level”
“He’ll be fine. He will be around better coaches (at Duke) this year.” pic.twitter.com/U6Oz0wj6cu
We’re not sure who’s being quoted here, but the comments about his defense jumped out: “Defense is A1. NBA Level.”
That’s a comment that you almost never hear about a freshman, much less one who comes from a country with no meaningful basketball infrastructure. Former Duke star Luol Deng is in charge of the national basketball program and is trying to change that, but it’s still pretty rudimentary.
Look at this video from the game against the UK though and you’ll see that Maluach is causing chaos on defense. In particular, look for one block where he just swallows a shot.
It’s fun to spike a ball out of bounds, but all that really comes down to is a turnover with attitude. The other team still gets the ball back.
When you just pull the ball down, well...there is nothing more intimidating than that.
Putting Maluach next to Flagg in Duke’s front court is going to be a nightmare for opponents. This is going to be a ton of fun to watch.
Incidentally, the Bright Stars play the US Saturday in another exhibition, at 3:00 ET on Fox.
