{"id":132958,"date":"2025-05-14T08:00:12","date_gmt":"2025-05-14T12:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=132958"},"modified":"2025-05-04T10:36:19","modified_gmt":"2025-05-04T14:36:19","slug":"khaman-maluach-2025-nba-draft-joel-embiid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/05\/14\/khaman-maluach-2025-nba-draft-joel-embiid\/","title":{"rendered":"Khaman Maluach 2025 NBA Draft Profile"},"content":{"rendered":"

Khaman Maluach<\/a> committed to Duke later than the rest of his class but the impact was just as great. Maluach found himself as the starter from the jump and consistently improved through the season. Now, Khaman Maluach will head to the 2025 NBA Draft.<\/p>\n

Khaman Maluach 2025 NBA Draft Profile<\/h2>\n

College Career<\/h3>\n

Maluach was one of the more polarizing players in his college class. The big man from South Sudan came with very minimal organized basketball experience but the word on the street was he was drastically further along than Joel Embiid<\/a> at the same point in their basketball careers. That obviously gets ears perked.<\/p>\n

Maluach averaged 8.6 points per game, 6.6 \u00a0rebounds per game, 0.5 assists per game, and 1.3 blocks per game. He continued to improve throughout the season as he was more comfortable playing on the big stage. At 7\u20192 250 pounds with a baby face, Maluach is continuing to grow into his body.<\/p>\n

\"Khaman
Mar 29, 2025; Newark, NJ, USA; Duke Blue Devils center Khaman Maluach (9) dunks the ball against Alabama Crimson Tide forward Grant Nelson (4) during the second half in the East Regional final of the 2025 NCAA tournament at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Strengths<\/h3>\n

Maluach often beats his defender down the floor and has a great rim running ability. Bigs that can run are special because they add an additional strain to the defense regardless of offensive ability. He often finds himself filling the lane while the Duke guards are looking to him for easy dunks. That translates well to the NBA.<\/p>\n

It is hard to watch a Duke game without noticing many shots around the rim being altered<\/a>. Even though Maluach did not block a ton of shots (2nd<\/sup> on the team to Flagg), he did really well protecting the rim with his length. His insane 7\u2019 6\u201d wingspan and 9\u2019 8\u201d standing reach mean that he is always in the way.\u00a0 Just ask Alabama who were woeful when going up against Maluach. Duke often held opponents to 20-30 points below season averages which starts with Maluach at the rim.<\/p>\n

Maluach did not take a ton of jumpshots this season, mostly because he did not have to. However, he shot a nice clip from the free throw line (77%) and knocked down 4 of 16 open threes. Many videos surfaced of his pregame warm ups where he often was stringing together many jumpers in a row. Shooting won\u2019t be a strong suit off the rip but he will be a very capable shooter as his career develops.<\/p>\n

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No other prospect in this year’s NBA Draft matches Khaman Maluach\u2019s physical tools and long-term promise as a two-way anchor. Still early in his development, the Duke freshman has shown growth throughout the year and is the nation’s most efficient P&R partner, per Synergy. pic.twitter.com\/ShkdXbysuo<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Jacob Myers (@League_Him) March 12, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n