After the transfer portal took away seven Duke players, head coach Jon Scheyer brings one in.
Former Syracuse forward Maliq Brown is committing to the Blue Devils, he announced on his Instagram. He is a rising junior with two years of eligibility remaining.
The 6-foot-8 forward started 16 games for the Orange and was essentially playing center after an achilles injury sidelined Naheem McLeod for the season. Brown produced at a high and consistent level, scoring 9.5 points and grabbing 7.2 boards per game.
Despite being undersized in most of his matchups, Brown was a very efficient scorer, shooting a remarkable 69.8% from the field in both his freshman and sophomore years. In fact, he had the highest effective field-goal percentage in the ACC, according to KenPom.
One of the first things that jumps out for Brown is his elite athleticism, with highlight-reel blocks. His defense is phenomenal, as he led the conference with 2.2 steals per game last year.
If the Culpeper, Va., native plays his more natural position of the four, he can really blossom in his third year and be a big factor for Duke. But if Scheyer wants to go smaller, Brown has demonstrated his ability to play the five.
"We are thrilled to add Maliq Brown to our program," Scheyer said. "Maliq is a skilled, tough and versatile forward who brings a competitive mentality to every game and practice. He was one of the most efficient offensive players in the country last year at Syracuse, and also one of the best defenders in the ACC while leading the league in steals."
Brown adds some much needed experience to a young team, and after the departures of forwards Mark Mitchell, TJ Power and Sean Stewart, fills a key hole in the frontcourt.
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Ranjan Jindal is a Trinity junior and sports editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.