Duke Basketball Rookie Set to Rejoin Teammates Following Loss
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Khaman Maluach's time in France came to an end on Saturday. Duke basketball's 7-foot-2, 250-pound five-star newcomer and South Sudan (1-2) fell to Serbia (2-1), 96-85, thus coming up short of the knockout stage at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
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As was the case in South Sudan's previous two outings, the 17-year-old Maluach saw limited action off the bench. He played five minutes against Serbia, grabbing two rebounds while attempting no field goals or free throws.
Maluach averaged 0.7 points and 1.3 rebounds in 4.4 minutes per contest. It was his home country's Olympic debut, thanks in large part to the efforts of the South Sudan Basketball Federation president in former Duke basketball one-and-done Luol Deng.
In their first Olympic appearance, South Sudan nearly qualified for quarterfinals.
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) August 3, 2024
They huddled at center court after loss to Serbia and were showered with loud applause. Crowd favorites all week. pic.twitter.com/cdYO0aYQjK
Now, the NBA Academy Africa product, who arrived in Durham earlier this summer at No. 6 overall on the 247Sports 2024 Composite, will return to campus and rejoin his Blue Devil teammates, including five fellow heralded freshmen. They are gearing up for the start of the fall semester and the third Duke basketball season of the Jon Scheyer era.
Back in Paris, though, two former Blue Devils continue their quests for gold as they prepare for quarterfinal action.
Jayson Tatum, who posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds in a 104-83 victory over Puerto Rico on Saturday, will look to build on his best outing yet at the 2024 Olympics when Team USA faces Brazil at 3:30 p.m. ET Tuesday.
Jayson Tatum today:
— CelticsMuse (@CelticsMuse) August 3, 2024
10 Points
10 Rebounds
3 Assists
2 Steals
4-9 FG
+11
Earned his starting spot. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/zQv9RFfdHo
First, Canada and its Olympic MVP candidate out of Duke, RJ Barrett, square off against France at noon Tuesday.
The undefeated Canadians and Americans are on opposite sides of the bracket. However, it wouldn't be a surprise if both reach the gold medal game next Saturday.