In the world of college basketball, there are players who stand out for their sheer dominance on the court. One such player is Khaman Maluach, a 7-1 freshman center at Duke University. With a towering presence and a massive NBA-ready frame, Maluach has already made a name for himself as a defensive force to be reckoned with, despite his young age of 18.
Maluach's strength lies in his rim protection, where he swats and alters shots using his impressive timing and length. He is a long-term paint anchor who can cover significant ground defensively and hedge out on pick-and-rolls. His mobile defense allows him to switch and rotate quickly as a weak-side shot-blocker. On the offensive end, while he is still a work in progress, he is a constant target for lobs with soft hands and does an outstanding job of cleaning up on the glass and cutting to the basket. When a dunk isn't possible, he has a soft touch scoring with layups and tip-ins.
Despite his raw skills, Maluach has a hard-nosed mindset and plays his butt off on both ends of the court. He sits in a stance on defense and hustles up the floor on offense. All of his indications reflect a player who wants to help his team win, and his year-to-year improvement is indicative of a player working hard off the court too.
However, there are concerns with Maluach's perimeter offense. Outside of shots at the rim, he has little self-creation ability and lacks refined post moves. Though he has a good free throw percentage even going back to high school, he's still just a theoretical 3-point shooter. Additionally, despite his immense size and length, he doesn't log a ton of blocks and rebounds, which is evident in film of his February loss against Clemson where he was overpowered on box-outs and failed to offer resistance at the rim.
Lastly, Maluach's raw role-player skills are evident in his foul-proneness, odd screening angles, and decision-making. He had zero rebounds in his final college game, which highlights the need for patience from the team drafting him.
Overall, Khaman Maluach is a player to watch out for in the NBA draft. With his defensive prowess and potential for growth on the offensive end, he has the potential to become a valuable contributor for any team that drafts him. For more information on Maluach and other players in the draft class, check out my NBA Draft Guide for a two-round mock draft and a big board with full scouting reports.
