Cooper Flagg on Duke Basketball Center's Unquantifiable Impact

Khaman Maluach's presence alone benefits his Duke basketball teammates' numbers.

Duke basketball center Khaman Maluach / Rob Kinnan-Imagn Images

Duke basketball freshman big man and full-time starter Khaman Maluach didn't record a single made field goal in Tuesday night's 68-47 home win over the George Mason Patriots (7-4, 0-0 Atlantic 10) and their pair of seasoned giants, Jalen Haynes and Giovanni Emejuru.

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But the 7-foot-2, 250-pound South Sudan native finished 6-for-8 at the charity stripe, adding eight rebounds, one steal, and two blocks across his season-high 24 minutes on the floor. Similar to Duke basketball one-and-done Dereck Lively II two years ago, those numbers alone — not to mention his plus/minus of +28 — fall short of fully illustrating the extent of Maluach's positive impact on the No. 5-ranked Blue Devils (9-2, 1-0 ACC).

I asked Cooper Flagg, the world's greatest teammate, about Khaman Maluach's encouraging performance against George Mason's bruisers last night: pic.twitter.com/jG22u9YVs8

— Matt Giles (@MattGilesBD) December 18, 2024

"I think he did such a good job tonight," Duke basketball rookie phenom Cooper Flagg, who tallied a game-high 24 points and team-high nine rebounds versus the Patriots, noted to Duke Blue Devils On SI about Khaman Maluach's efforts. "He was playing good defense, rebounding, keeping them off the glass.

"He's such a good player...I mean, for him, he has a little confidence thing sometimes where he doesn't come out great. But tonight, I thought he was exceptional from the very start, just playing defense, grabbing rebounds, and just doing everything he can. He's just such a presence in the paint that he doesn't even understand, I think, how much he affects the game that doesn't show up on the stat sheet sometimes."

Third-year Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer echoed Flagg's sentiments in his postgame presser.

"For Khaman to not get a shot," Scheyer explained, "but he impacts the game in so many ways. Protecting the rim. You know, he has eight rebounds. He's guarding two really good big men and those guys."

As Maluach pointed out to Duke Blue Devils On SI in the locker room, the early tests he's encountered as a Blue Devil has prepared him for the heart of ACC play.

"In the beginning of the season, I really began to experience mature bigs," the 18-year-old projected lottery pick said. "And I feel like now, like, I'm used to it. And I know how to guard the bigs and guard physical bigs like that who are mature bigs."

Heading into Duke's road ACC test against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (4-6, 0-1 ACC) at noon ET Saturday (ACC Network), Khaman Maluach is averaging 7.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks in 18.4 minutes per game, shooting 76.7 percent from the field and 79.2 percent at the line.

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Stay tuned to Duke Blue Devils On SI for more Duke basketball news.