After a lengthy wait, Duke basketball center Khaman Maluach officially became the third (and final) freshman to declare for the 2025 NBA draft on Sunday.
Maluach, a 7-foot-2-inch phenom from South Sudan, represented his home country at the 2024 Olympic Games before he arrived in Durham. According to the team website, the five-star talent has a 7-foot-5 wingspan and 9-foot-8 standing reach, making him one of the country’s best rim protectors from opening night. He blocked three shots in his collegiate debut against Maine and three more against the Kentucky Wildcats in his first blue-blood showdown a week later.
Maluach’s real growth came on the offensive end, and by March Madness, he was an unstoppable force in the pick-and-roll game and an undeniable lob threat. He went 20/23 (87.0%) from the floor in Duke’s first four NCAA Tournament games, setting a new record for the most efficient run to the Final Four as each of his teammates looked comfortable tossing the ball up toward him.
Maluach averaged 8.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in 21.3 minutes per night with five double-doubles across his freshman season.
Maluach joins fellow freshmen Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel in the NBA draft pool, and all three Blue Devils are expected to go within the first 10 picks. Junior guard Tyrese Proctor and fifth-year senior Sion James, the other two members of Duke’s starting lineup, are both presumed second-round picks.