Tag: Khaman Maluach

Incoming Duke basketball 7-footer Khaman Maluach makes 3-pointer against Team USA

Khaman Maluach gets praise for the defense and shot-blocking he’s expected to show at Duke, but the 7-footer showed off his jumper on Saturday.

Following in the footsteps of his future teammate [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag], incoming Duke freshman [autotag]Khaman Maluach[/autotag] made a great impression against Team USA this summer.

During a 101-100 exhibition loss to the United States on Saturday, coming a late LeBron James basket away from the upset, Maluach nailed a corner 3-pointer to show off his complete talent.

The South Sudanese 7-footer gets lottery hype for the 2025 NBA draft thanks to his defensive ability, and he did block a shot and come away with three rebounds for the exhibition game.

He’s shown flashes of his perimeter shooting in Basketball Africa League games, however. If the lanky forward can be even a competent outside threat alongside Flagg next season, the Blue Devils add an extra level of fear for opponents. He’s considered the second-best NBA prospect on the Duke roster for 2024-25, quite an accomplishment when you consider he’ll be playing with three other five-star freshmen and two impressive returning guards.

Check out where Bleacher Report put Maluach, Flagg, and two other Blue Devils in the latest 2025 NBA mock draft here.

Khaman Maluach, South Sudan basketball come within a point of beating Team USA

Khaman Maluach, the incoming Duke freshman and presumed 2025 lottery pick, nearly helped South Sudan upset Team USA in a Saturday exhibition.

[autotag]Khaman Maluach[/autotag] and South Sudan nearly pulled off the upset of the summer during a Saturday exhibition game against Team USA.

During a friendly match in London ahead of the upcoming Olympic Games, the United States needed to pull out a miraculous 101-100 victory over the South Sudan national team.

Maluach, a member of Duke’s hyped 2024 recruiting class and a presumed lottery pick in next year’s NBA draft, scored seven points in 12 minutes off of the bench. He made three of his four attempts from the floor, pulled down three rebounds, blocked a shot, and even made a 3-pointer to tease his shot-making ceiling.

The future Blue Devil made an impression as early as he could with a breakaway dunk in the opening quarter.

The U.S. actually trailed in the final half-minute of the game before four-time NBA champion LeBron James drove his way to the basket for the go-ahead layup during the final 10 seconds.

Despite Maluach making an appearance during the exhibition and playing for South Sudan in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup, he’s not listed on the official men’s national team roster online, implying that he won’t make the trip to Paris for the Olympic Games.

Duke basketball’s Khaman Maluach throws down dunk against Team USA in exhibition

Khaman Maluach, one of four incoming five-star freshmen in Duke’s recruiting class, threw down a breakaway dunk against Team USA on Saturday.

[autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] isn’t the only incoming Duke freshman with a standout performance against Team USA.

After Flagg gained national adoration for his performance as a Select Team member during the United States Olympic training camp, future teammate [autotag]Khaman Maluach[/autotag] made some headlines of his own during a Saturday exhibition against the American team.

While playing for his home country of South Sudan, Maluach’s teammates passed him the ball with open paint in front of him during the first quarter. The 7-footer snagged the ball, made it from the free-throw line to the hoop in two steps, and threw down a dunk to give his team the 18-16 lead.

Saturday isn’t Maluach’s first experience on the national team. While he isn’t listed on the national team roster for the upcoming Olympics, he did represent South Sudan at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup. He’s routinely considered Duke’s second-best NBA prospect for 2025 thanks to his frame and shot-blocking ability, and Bleacher Report included him in a mock draft earlier this week.

Maluach and Flagg highlight a six-person freshman class for Duke’s 2024-25 roster.

Bleacher Report includes four Duke basketball players in new 2025 NBA mock draft

Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman released an updated 2025 NBA mock draft on Thursday with four members of Duke’s 2024 recruiting class.

It makes sense when you consider that Duke basketball coach [autotag]Jon Scheyer[/autotag] landed four five-star prospects and two more four-star players in the 2024 recruiting class, but the 2025 NBA draft could shape up as a day for the Blue Devils.

Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman released a new mock draft for next year’s cycle on Thursday, and he thinks four Duke freshmen end up in the first round.

[autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag], the top-ranked player in the class and the most anticipated college basketball player in years, of course went first overall. The USA Select Team member only solidified his status as a generational player with his performance at Olympic training camp, earning praise from NBA stars like Kevin Durant.

“He continues to show improvement working on the ball with his ball-handling, playmaking and self-created shotmaking,” Wasserman wrote. “While his skill level continues to rise, Flagg’s speed, hops and IQ will instantly translate to easy baskets, assists and defensive activity.”

Wasserman gave the Portland Trail Blazers the top pick in the draft, winning the Flagg sweepstakes.

While South Sudanese 7-footer Khaman Maluach typically gets hailed as the second-best NBA prospect on the 2024-25 roster, Wasserman actually turned to Kon Knueppel as the second Blue Devil off the board. He paired him with the Miami Heat with the 12th overall pick.

Knueppel, a prospect many basketball writers have praised during the offseason, will need to answer questions about his athletic ceiling, but Wasserman said his scoring instincts should alleviate any concerns.

Maluach followed as the third Blue Devil chosen when Wasserman let him go 17th overall to the Utah Jazz, meaning he’d play alongside [autotag]Kyle Filipowski[/autotag]. Isaiah Evans, the final four-star signee in the recruiting class, went to the Oklahoma City Thunder with the 25th pick for the final Duke player off the board.

Incoming Duke freshman Khaman Maluach not listed on South Sudanese national team roster

Duke’s Khaman Maluach, whom many thought would assuredly make the South Sudanese Olympic team, isn’t listed on the national team roster.

[autotag]Khaman Maluach[/autotag] might not play in Paris this summer after all.

The 7-footer and incoming Duke freshman seemed like an inevitability after he played for South Sudan at the FIBA Basketball World Cup last year, the team that helped the country qualify for this year’s Olympic Games.

However, as of this week, the men’s national team roster is listed online by the South Sudanese Basketball Federation, and Maluach is nowhere to be seen.

Maluach was given consideration for the squad, proven by an invite to the country’s training camp earlier this month. However, it seems like he won’t be on the 12-man squad.

South Sudan plays the United States in an exhibition game on Saturday. The game, played in London, will be aired on FOX.

Incoming Duke basketball freshman Khaman Maluach will play Jayson Tatum, Team USA

Before ever playing a game at Cameron Indoor Stadium, Duke signee Khaman Maluach will play against Jayson Tatum and Team USA on Saturday.

Incoming Duke basketball freshman Khaman Maluach looks destined to join an elite Blue Devils fraternity this summer before he ever officially wears the school uniform.

The South Sudanese center and his national team will play against Team USA in an exhibition on Saturday in London. The game will be televised on FOX at 3:00 p.m. Eastern time.

The seven-footer is one of four five-star prospects in Duke’s esteemed 2024 recruiting class, a unit that includes six top-40 players in the national rankings. Aside from [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag], the presumed No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft, no Blue Devil on the 2024-25 roster has received more lottery projections for next year’s cycle.

Maluach will square off against [autotag]Jayson Tatum[/autotag], who seems well on his way to becoming the best Duke alum in NBA history. The Boston Celtics star won his first championship this season and will attempt to take home a second gold medal in Paris.

Former Duke basketball star RJ Barrett set to play for Canadian Olympic team

RJ Barrett, who now plays for the Toronto Raptors, will play for Canada in Paris this summer in the country’s first Olympics since 2000.

For the first time since 2000, Canada will play in the Olympics for men’s basketball, and former Duke star [autotag]RJ Barrett[/autotag] made the 12-man squad.

Barrett will play alongside Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, an MVP finalist from this past NBA season, and Denver Nuggets guard and 2023 NBA champion Jamal Murray. The Canadians finished third at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup to secure a spot in Paris this summer, defeating the United States in the bronze medal game.

Barrett, the No. 1 overall prospect in the Class of 2018 and one of the highest-rated Duke commits in program history, spent just one season with the Duke basketball program in 2018-19. He, predictably, had one of the best freshman campaigns in school history, averaging 22.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game while he and [autotag]Zion Williamson[/autotag] led the Blue Devils to the Elite Eight.

Barrett, after being the third overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft, spent his first four full seasons with the New York Knicks before being traded to the Toronto Raptors in the middle of last season. He’s averaged 18.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game as an NBA player.

Barrett will join [autotag]Jayson Tatum[/autotag] (United States) and [autotag]Khaman Maluach[/autotag] (South Sudan) as Blue Devils in Paris for this summer’s games.

College Sports Wire puts Duke atop early ACC men’s basketball power rankings

College Sports Wire’s Andy Patton released an early ACC men’s basketball power rankings, and he thinks the Blue Devils are the team to beat.

College Sports Wire’s Andy Patton released an early power ranking for the 2024-25 ACC basketball teams on Monday, and he thinks no team is better suited to run the conference than the Blue Devils.

North Carolina swept the Blue Devils last season en route to a conference title, but Patton moved them down to second after Armando Bacot, Cormac Ryan, and Harrison Ingram headed to the NBA.

The Tar Heels added two big recruits in Ian Jackson and Drake Powell and Belmont transfer Cade Tyson, as well as retaining All-American RJ Davis. Compared to Duke adding [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag], [autotag]Khaman Maluach[/autotag], [autotag]Sion James[/autotag], Mason Gillis, Maliq Brown, and multiple other elite freshmen, however, UNC’s additions feel less important to maintain a grip on the conference.

The Blue Devils opened the offseason as national championship favorites, so their position atop the ACC makes sense. But some recent power rankings dropped Duke from the top five due to their reliance on freshmen and moved UNC back above them.

Patton rounded out his top five with Wake Forest, Pittsburgh, and Miami. Some historical powers finished lower in his top 10 with Virginia in sixth, Syracuse in eighth, and Louisville in ninth.

Jon Scheyer explains why he wanted Duke basketball to get bigger in new podcast appearance

Every Duke basketball player will stand at least 6-foot-5 next season. Head coach Jon Scheyer explained the commitment to size in a recent podcast.

The Duke basketball team is going to be huge in 2024-25, and head coach Jon Scheyer explained that the size of the Blue Devils roster is no accident.

During a Monday episode of The Devil’s Den podcast, Scheyer said the team consciously targeted height to maximize the team’s athletic ability on defense.

“I want us to create more turnovers,” Scheyer said. “In order to be more aggressive like the teams that I’ve been a part of here, the more athletic you are, the more you’re able to do that because you can cover ground, (you have) the length to make up for it.”

“So that’s why we’ve gone bigger…and that’s my style for how I’ve been taught here under Coach (Mike Krzyzewski) but also how I want to play for us going forward.”

Scheyer also highlighted Syracuse transfer Maliq Brown, who averaged 2.2 steals per game last season as a 6-foot-8 forward, as someone he immediately targeted because of his ability to create chaos. [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] and [autotag]Khaman Maluach[/autotag], two standout freshmen and presumed 2025 lottery picks, fit the same bill at 6-foot-9 and 7-foot-2, respectively.

Sophomore guard Caleb Foster, at 6-foot-5, will be the shortest player in the rotation next season. Check out every player on the 2024-25 roster ranked from tallest to shortest here.

Khaman Maluach, South Sudan set to play the United States in Olympics group stage

The men’s basketball groups for the 2024 Olympic Games are set, and Khaman Maluach will have the chance to lead South Sudan against the USA.

Incoming Duke basketball freshman [autotag]Khaman Maluach[/autotag] already has experience against professional basketball players in Africa, but he’ll (presumably) get one more massive boost on his resume in Paris this summer.

Maluach already made South Sudan’s training camp roster for the 2024 Olympic Games, and after his time on the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup squad, he seems like a lock for the team. With the groups set for pool play, the United States stands in his way as well.

South Sudan and the U.S. both drew Group C for the international competition alongside Serbia (home of three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic) and Puerto Rico.

Maluach, just 17 years old, stands more than 7 feet tall and he’s a presumed lottery pick in the 2025 NBA draft.

Another Blue Devil plays in Group C, too, with recent NBA champion Jayson Tatum on the United States squad. [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag], Maluach’s future teammate and the top-ranked 2024 prospect, made the country’s Select Team to help the Olympic squad prepare.

Eight of the 12 available teams will advance from group play to the quarterfinals before the tournament becomes a single-elimination tournament.