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Duke's Khaman Maluach Predicted to Join $185 Million Star in NBA Draft

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Chris Phelps | Last updated Mar 27, 2025 6:49 PM ET

Khaman Maluach has helped the No. 1 seed Duke Blue Devils advance to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament for a second straight season.

On Thursday, Duke will get its toughest test yet, facing a familiar foe in Caleb Love, a former North Carolina star, and the No. 4 seed Arizona Wildcats.

Although he isn't the biggest name for the Blue Devils (that honor goes to Cooper Flagg), Maluach has become a big piece for Jon Scheyer. The 7-foot-2 freshman center is averaging 8.4 points on 70.7% shooting, 6.7 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. And, through two NCAA Tournament games, Maluach is yet to miss a shot (8-of-8).

Maluach's play has had him land in the top ten in numerous mock drafts. However, in CBS Sports' Adam Finkelstein's latest 2025 NBA mock draft, he has Maluach falling to No. 13, selected by the Houston Rockets.

"Maluach is a shot-blocker, lob threat, and rim runner – just the archetype that has translated so frequently in recent years – not to mention an ideal complement to Alperen Sengun," Finkelstein wrote. "The worst case scenario here is that Houston gets their backup center. The best case is that they find a way to pair the two bigs at times and create jumbo lineups and consequent mismatches."

After a stellar third season with the Rockets, center Alperen Sengun was rewarded with a five-year, $185 million extension prior to the 2024-25 NBA season. It has turned out to be a solid investment for Houston already, as the Rockets have jumped from not making the postseason at all in 2023-24 to the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference this year.

Maluach would certainly provide much-needed depth, especially on defense, at the center position for Houston. Sengun is averaging 19.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.9 assists, but there is a huge dropoff at center when he comes out.

Khaman Maluach is viewed as the best big in the 2025 NBA Draft due to his impactful rim protection and developing shooting upside.

Maluach, who just began playing basketball in 2019, is averaging 14.5 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per-36 minutes. pic.twitter.com/gtI8X6hRzf
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) March 25, 2025

The Duke center also has experience against the best the NBA has to offer. He played for South Sudan in the 2024 Paris Olympics, facing the likes of LeBron James, Nikola Jokic and Steph Curry.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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