Duke Prospect Khaman Maluach is as Solid as They Come

The 18-year-old, 7-foot-2 center has patience beyond his age.

Dec 21, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Duke Blue Devils center Khaman Maluach (9) on the court against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets during the first half at McCamish Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Duke center Khaman Maluach is terribly young, at just 18, but has already experienced quite a bit during his basketball career, including playing in the 2023 World Cup and the 2024 Summer Olympics.

As such, it should come as little surprise that he's currently fairing quite well at Duke University, where he's playing limited minutes, and absolutely feasting in a role that's built to streamline his 7-foot-2 frame. 

Maluach grabs a ton of lobs and plays the dunker spot beautifully. He's patient enough not to be overly aggressive on his duck-ins, and he stays away if the defense suddenly converges near the rim early, preferring instead to wait for a more opportune time to attack. 

The former NBA Academy product is currently producing at a rate of 8.4 points and 5.3 rebounds in just over 18 minutes per game, converting on a whopping 79.2% of his shots and even 80% of his free throws (30 attempts this season so far).

In many ways, Maluach seems to know who he is and where he can take the most advantage. He's not breaking guys down off the dribble -- although he's not afraid to attack on straight-line drives - and he isn't taking wild shots outside the flow of the offense. 

The release on his free throws is excellent, to the point where you can't rule him out as a shooter as he matures. But for now, he's running a tight ship when he's on the floor. That's encouraging for someone so young, and several NBA teams should consider him, pending where they end up selecting. There's talent, potential, and IQ to be found in Maluach's game, all wrapped up in a frame that could turn enormously intriguing as the year progresses. 

What is his upside, you might wonder. 

It's a good question. It really depends on what skills he adds, or what skills he decides to focus on. There's a case to be made that he could become one of the more exciting center prospects in the class, based on shooting upside, and his aforementioned conversion rate inside. 

For now, suffice to say he can become an extremely good player if he just keeps his current skill set, and perfects those weapons as he sees fit. 

Unless noted otherwise, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.

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