2025 NBA Draft: Khaman Maluach Linked to the Nets

Maluach’s role at Duke was narrow — setting screens, catching lobs, finishing plays on both ends and securing rebounds — but he showed more expansive flashes in previous settings. This included the NBA Academy (where his basketball upbringing took place), the Basketball Africa League (he featured in three seasons) and the South Sudan national team (he was rostered for the FIBA World Cup and the Olympics before setting foot on the Duke campus).

Maluach’s improvement points surround his newness to the game. On offense, his hands can still drop some ‘catchable’ passes, although it’s not like this prevents the Duke big from dominating at the rim. Maluach converted on 77.6% of his 156 shots at the basket this season, per Synergy, while throwing down 80 dunks. 

On the glass, Maluach can still rely more on his size and athleticism than technique. This was apparent in one really poor rebounding game against Houston to end his season; however, the 18-year-old’s advanced numbers check out well against recent center prospects in the draft.

On defense, Maluach has really improved his positioning and his discipline. Before, he would jump at almost everything around the basket to try and reject it. Now, he understands that he can stay down and use his massive dimensions — about 7-foot-2 in shoes to go alongside a 9-foot-6 standing reach — to discourage shots or coerce turnovers. Going forward, Maluach can still improve his reaction time and body positioning, although he has great recovery tools. Then, he will always have a high center of gravity due to his size. 

Maluach started playing basketball when he was 13 years old as a refugee in Uganda. After COVID thwarted his scholarship at a local school, he was eventually offered a scholarship to the NBA Academy in Saly, Senegal. Maluach quickly became arguably the best prospect in the program, impressing against stateside competition as far back as two summers ago. The now-Duke center was also recruited by Kansas, Kentucky, UCLA, the G League Ignite and the Australian NBL.

The 2025 draft is scheduled for June 25 and 26 at Barclays Center. The Nets are set to pick at Nos. 8, 19, 26, 27 and 36. BYU freshman Egor Demin is “drawing interest” from Brooklyn, per Siegel.