After a week of nothing but departures from its program, Jon Scheyer and the Duke Blue Devils are finally playing offense in the NCAA transfer portal.
Former Syracuse forward Maliq Brown committed to Duke on Saturday afternoon, per On3 Sports’ Joe Tipton.
Brown, a four-star recruit, spent his first two collegiate seasons in Syracuse, where he played sparingly as a freshman. This past season, as a sophomore, the 6-foot-8 forward started 16 games for the Orange and was their de facto center after an Achilles injury sidelined starter Naheem McLeod for the season. Brown posted 9.5 points and grabbed 7.2 boards per game.
Brown’s game is defense, hustle, and finishing at a high rate around the rim. He shot nearly 70% from the field in both his freshman and sophomore years, and his 71.3% effective field-goal percentage was the highest in the ACC, according to KenPom.
He was an ACC All-Defensive Team nominee this season and led the conference with 2.2 steals per game last year. He’s a high-level athlete who will give Duke versatility as a small-ball five or by playing his natural spot at power forward.
NEWS: Syracuse transfer forward Maliq Brown has committed to Duke, he tells @On3sports.
The 6-8 sophomore averaged 9.5 points and 7.2 rebounds per game this season. Shot nearly 70% from the field. https://t.co/s63MmRtG5e pic.twitter.com/Xylc22zg5Y
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) April 20, 2024
Brown has already shown the Duke staff what he can do, scoring 28 points against Duke in Cameron this past season. Brown started his visit to Duke earlier in the week, and the rest was history. He didn’t visit anywhere else before ultimately committing on Saturday afternoon.
Brown will fill the void left by Mark Mitchell and Sean Stewart’s departures. He also brings another veteran presence and voice to a team that will add six freshmen in the summer and will need a lot of leadership as they attempt to gel.