Hornets could draft the next Joel Embiid in the first round of the NBA Draft

While the clock continues to tick on the 2025 NBA Draft, fans and media continue to speculate who could go at pick four.

Cooper Flagg and Ace Bailey are likely to be gone, which leaves Ace Bailey, VJ Edgecombe, Kon Knueppel, Tre Johnson, and Jeremiah Fears available.

One name that has not been discussed as much? Khaman Maluach, the star Duke center. There has been good reason for why Maluach has not been mentioned, with the Charlotte Hornets having three starting-caliber centers on their current roster.

Looking at the teams selecting after the Hornets, it's unlikely Maluach goes until seven (New Orleans) at the earliest. In that case, should the Hornets trade from four to seven? Or is there another route they should go?

Before that is discussed, let's talk about Maluach.

Khaman is a 7'2 center from South Sudan, and did not start playing basketball until he was 13 years old (only five years ago). In 2021, Khaman was offered a scholarship to the African NBA Academy, and then played in the Basketball Africa League from ages 15-17.

He had his best season in the league in 2023-24, averaging 19.1 points, 14.2 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks across nine games. He was 17 years old.

Maluach committed to Duke University, shortly after American superstar Cooper Flagg had committed. Unlike Flagg, Maluach went onto then compete in the 2024 Olympics for South Sudan, where he saw two minutes in a matchup against Joel Embiid, LeBron James, and Team USA.

His lone Duke season was spectacular, averaging 8.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in 21.2 minutes per game. He also shot 71.2% from the field, 25% from three, and 76.6% from the free throw line.

His offense needs time. He's not a polished offensive center prospect like Derik Queen, and will need to be given time to develop by any team that selects him. That being said, what we saw from his offense for someone who has only played the sport for a short period time was incredible.

He made 78% of his shots at the rim and had 80 dunks across the 39 games he played. He was a gigantic lob threat and would fit perfectly alongside LaMelo Ball on offense, as Maluach is a strong pick and role player. He's also a fantastic rebounder, and if it were not for Cooper Flagg, he may have averaged double-digit rebounds.

He only took sixteen total threes at Duke, but there is room for improvement in his game there. His free-throw numbers show an ability to shoot the ball, and he could become a knockdown shooter by year three.

This is a prospect who is not polished on offense, by the way. He could easily come in and replicate what Moussa Diabate did on offense, if not be even better. His defense is what makes him stand out from the rest though.

His numbers do not tell the story of his defense. Maluach could be a perennial All-Defense type of player, who is consistently in the Defensive Player of the Year race. He's a fantastic pick-and-roll defender, arguably the best in this entire class. He's disciplined, has great footwork, and does not jump on pump fakes. Not to mention, he can switch and guard 1-5 easily.

He's a perfect center for LaMelo Ball, and a three-point shot development could turn him into the perfect center for Charles Lee.

Yesterday, I posted a tweet about how I believe Maluach could be the next Joel Embiid. Coming out of college, the two were practically the same player. Not great ball-handlers, great finishers, fantastic defenders, and capable of shooting, but did not do it often. It was scary watching the tape of the two side by side. Embiid's development has been spectacular, though, and another player replicating it would be tough to do.