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Duke’s Khaman Maluach Reacts to Major Recruiting News on Friday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Robert Marvi | Last updated May 2, 2025 10:30 PM ET

Khaman Maluach, an intriguing center who had a solid freshman year with the Duke Blue Devils this past season, is headed to the pros.

He recently declared himself eligible for the NBA draft, just as teammate Cooper Flagg did, and he could be a promising project player for teams to consider taking.

Meanwhile, Arizona has signed Mabilmawut Kon Mabil, a 6-foot-11 forward from South Sudan, the same nation Malauch is originally from. Mabil will begin suiting up for the Wildcats during the 2025-26 season.

Maluach, who is a good friend of Mabil, responded to the news on Instagram with a heart emoji.

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A post shared by MABILMAWUT KON (@_mabil)

Mabil recently came to the United States, where he has been playing high school basketball at Our Saviour Lutheran School in New York.

According to the website Recruit the Bronx, he has the ability and potential to become a major offensive threat in the low post, as well as an impactful shot-blocker. While with the Overtime Elite team Jelly Fam, Mabil averaged 4.6 points and 4.1 rebounds in 17.3 minutes per game.

Malauch stands 7-foot-2 and weighs 250 pounds, and he put up 8.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 21.3 minutes a game last season. His offensive skill set is limited at this point in his development, but he can convert lob passes into thunderous dunks, and he's becoming a legitimate rim protector who can even step out on the perimeter and effectively guard multiple positions.

Duke was picked by many people to win the 2025 men's NCAA championship, but it lost in the Final Four round to the Houston Cougars.

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

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