Duke freshman big man Khaman Maluach is jumping to the NBA.
The program announced Sunday that the 7-foot-2, 250-pound Maluach would go the one-and-done route after helping the Blue Devils reach the Final Four. Maluach's move was first reported late Saturday by , and underclassmen had until 11:59 p.m. that night to meet the NBA deadline to declare themselves as eligible for the June draft.
鈥淗is best years are by far in front of him,鈥� Duke coach Jon Scheyer said . 鈥淚 can鈥檛 wait to see what he鈥檚 going to do because he鈥檚 just scratching the surface. He has an amazing base for who he is as a player, but that skillset is just going to continue to grow.鈥�
Notably, 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鈥檚 best in KenPom鈥檚 efficiency metrics, including with his ability to defend on the perimeter with Duke鈥檚 switching defense.
Maluach averaged 8.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks while shooting 71.2% from the field, though he also was reliable at the line (76.6%) and made four 3-pointers to show the potential for expanded range. He still is developing his skill set, but his 7-5 wingspan and 9-8 standing reach offers attractive numbers for potential NBA suitors.
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 a top-5 national recruit for 247Sports.
Maluach had six points and zero rebounds in in the national semifinals on April 5. That same day, Secretary of State Marco Rubio , creating uncertainty about his immigration situation, though there has been no updates or change to that announcement.
Duke spokesman Frank Tramble issued a statement that night saying the school was aware of the announcement and was looking into the situation to understand 鈥渁ny implications for Duke students.鈥�
Maluach is the fourth Duke player to make an early jump to the NBA draft, starting with and . Last week, 鈥� named in early April 鈥� joined the list as the favorite to be the No. 1 overall pick.
The Blue Devils will lose all five starters, with graduate transfer Sion James departing as well, though Scheyer's program has 247Sports' No. 3-ranked recruiting class led .
___
AP college basketball: and
Aaron Beard, The Associated Press
