As basketball season approaches, the Blue Zone provides a detailed preview of each player on Duke men's basketball's 2024-25 roster. We’ve already looked at Cameron Sheffield, Patrick Ngongba II, Darren Harris, Isaiah Evans, Mason Gillis, Maliq Brown, Sion James and Caleb Foster. Next up is freshman center Khaman Maluach:
Khaman Maluach
Year: Freshman
Height: 7-foot-2
Position: Center
Last year’s stat line: N/A
Game breakdown: As the youngest basketball player to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics, Maluach brings a host of talent and international experience to the Blue Devils. He spent his summer representing South Sudan on the court, scoring two points and two rebounds in six minutes off the bench to help defeat Puerto Rico 90-79. While he understandably didn’t see as much Olympic floor time as his more experienced teammates, the Rumbek, South Sudan, native performed well given international pressure.
Maluach’s size makes him a formidable presence around the rim, and his efficiency from deep makes him a dual threat on the court. In last season’s Basketball Africa League qualifiers, he averaged 21.0 points and 15.7 rebounds per game while posting a field goal percentage of 55.8%. During his time with the City Oilers, a team in the Ugandan National Basketball league, Maluach tallied a similar 18.1 points and 13.5 rebounds per game. The freshman has also benefited from the mentorship of former Duke forward and NBA All-Star Luol Deng.
Role on the team: At 7-foot-2, Maluach towers over the rest of the Blue Devils’ roster. The freshman’s sheer size and skill around the rim make him a good bet for the starting center role, and head coach Jon Scheyer will look to make the most out of the big man’s skills this season.
With that being said, a lot depends on how quickly Maluach can adjust to the pace of college basketball. Though he is full of potential and will make an impact for the Blue Devils right off the bat, he’s only played the sport for five years. Training alongside the rest of Duke’s high-caliber roster could still deliver exponential growth as the season progresses. So, though unlikely, Scheyer could also opt to use Maluach as a rotational big early on before expanding his role later in the year.
NBA comparison: Maluach’s ability to protect the rim and stretch the floor resembles that of Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner. The 28-year-old Texas graduate has a similar career field goal percentage of 50.2% and shoots 35.4% from the 3-point line. Turner and Maluach are big men who block like centers but have proven they can use their mobility to space the floor and shoot like small forwards. Both players also share a common hustle and work ethic: Turner’s dedication helped him recover from a fractured tibia when he was just 14, and Maluach’s focus on always improving his skill set allowed him to become a five-star recruit only four years after first picking up a basketball. While both players already make valuable contributions to their teams, Maluach’s untapped hints at further promise on the court, and Blue Devil fans will hope the young center develops similarly to Turner throughout the 2024-25 season.
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Abby DiSalvo is a Trinity sophomore and assistant Blue Zone editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.