Khaman Maluach’s 2025 NBA draft scouting report: How has Duke's tantalizing 7’2 South Sudanese faired in 2 games?
Khaman Maluach is the 2025 NBA draft’s mystery box. Maluach, a 7’2 18-year-old, developed in the NBA Global Academy and briefly in the Basketball Africa League. More than any other prospect in his draft, we don’t have the full game tape and prospect history for Maluach.
Since 2021, RealGM’s database has Maluach at 24 total BAL games in three seasons. He’s appeared in seven total FIBA games for South Sudan, briefly featuring in the Paris Olympics. Maluach simply lacks basketball experience and scouts lack the information to evaluate him as deeply as they’d hope to.
Maluach’s arrival at Duke will answer plenty of questions surrounding Maluach. To what extent can his freakish athletic tools translate to basketball impact? He’s an overwhelming physical talent — tall, fast, coordinated and explosive. That alone will entice NBA teams and suggests serious upside.
We’ll break down all of the notable moments from Maluach’s game against Army on Friday. Maluach tallied 11 points (62% true shooting) and 14 boards in Duke’s blowout win. Despite the tiny, two-game sample against low-level competition, we can begin to learn about Maluach and glean information about his projection.
Khaman Maluach rebounding: A monster on the boards
Maluach’s athletic advantages are clearest on the glass, where he skies above opponents to snare rebounds. His rebound rates were excellent in the Basketball Africa League, which is admittedly a much shorter, less athletic league. Against this lesser competition, he can simply tap the ball to himself and dunk after the offensive rebound:
He notched six offensive rebounds (28% offensive rebound rate), stealing extra possessions for the Blue Devils. Physical gifts aside, Maluach’s motor and effort levels tend to run high. This next offensive board happens because Maluiach runs the floor hard, positioning himself to snag the rebound and kick the ball out:
With three dunks in the game, Maluach powers through, over and around defenders at the basket. He senses when to move and cut and rises powerfully and explosively when he catches the ball. His deep supply of perimeter talent should grant him open looks at the basket all season long.
I can’t understate how gigantic Maluach is. He’s every bit of 7’2 with an enormous wingspan and a reported 9’8 standing reach. He makes Army’s defenders look like overmatched children, barely jumping for the dunk. He’ll lose some of this advantage against ACC competition but he’ll still see moments like this:
Maluach’s size, explosion off of the floor and sudden movement will force defenders to foul him out of desperation. He converted three of his four free throws tonight (57% free throw rate), nearly posterizing this defender on the alley-oop:
Most freshmen bigs are poor screeners, but Maluach’s picks stood out early. They’re far from perfect, but Maluach attempts to make hard contact and has the agility to flip his angles. Teams will have nightmares trying to defend this Maluach, Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel trio:
Catch radius, a concept most commonly associated with wide receivers is quietly pivotal for play-finishing bigs. Centers that increase their passers’ margin for error help create more chances for themselves. He hooks an errant pass, resetting to score with a touch over a defender:
Khaman Maluach's weaknesses: What does the big man need?
He’ll need to add strength to maximize his play-finishing talent. Most young centers lack strength development. As Maluach adds bulk, he’ll be able to expand his post-scoring toolkit and maintain catches in traffic.
In the Basketball Africa League and in various prospect camps, Maluach flashed a burgeoning perimeter skillset. Occasionally, he’ll handle on the perimeter and initiate dribble handoffs. Maluach’s willingness to push the boundaries of his comfort zone will pay dividends in the future. Maluach attempted a three in this game with encouraging confidence:
Maluach’s athletic dominance extends to the defensive end, where his ceiling is even higher than the offense. His movement skills and range over seven feet tall connect him to many recent elite defensive big prospects (Alex Sarr, Evan Mobley, Chet Holmgren, etc).
Despite not blocking a shot (Maluach blocked three shots in his debut against Maine), his impact defending the rim changed the game. When Maluach keeps his verticality in the air, his size and explosion let him block out the sun on this layup attempt:
Even with imperfect positioning and timing, Maluach’s sheer size deters and impacts shots at the basket. He loves stabbing at the ball like a fencer, pressuring handlers and making opponents uncomfortable. Watch Maluach stunt at the ball, hop back and explode to contest this miss:
Some of the blocks Maluach racks up are comical. He goaltended twice in this game, as his reaction speed isn’t always snappy timing up blocks. But his ability to reject shots at their apex is eye-catching:
Maluach only fouled once this game, avoiding a common pitfall for developing big men. He’s been foul-happy in the past, so we’ll watch for how much he resorts to fouling against better competition. His technique can falter when defending the ball, leaning too far forward and allowing the advantage:
As Maluach gains experience, his positioning and awareness should improve. At the moment, Maluach can appear lost, especially when guarding up higher in the pick and roll. He spins out defending this ball screen, bailed out by his teammate knocking the ball away:
Even if his perimeter play isn’t consistent, the glimpses of Maluach’s range and ground coverage are tantalizing. Maluach’s fluidity changing directions, accelerating and exploding at his size doesn’t make sense. Watch him instantly stop his momentum and reverse at the sight of a pass, tracking back to contest the shot:
Maluach may struggle this season as he adapts to college basketball. The physicality, speed and decision-making load of this level could hurt Maluach given his lack of experience. But the flashes and high-end moments are that of a top-five talent and it’s easy to imagine him improving as the season goes on. He has the makings of a future defensive anchor.