Cooper Flagg will be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft but the Duke basketball team is hoping to have two other freshmen selected in the lottery and one rookie is poised to surprise a lot of teams before June.
Khaman Maluach entered the Blue Devil program with some projections of being a Top-5 pick when he declared for the draft and while some other prospects have surpassed him in the projections, he still figures to hear his name called quickly in Brooklyn.
The biggest thing Maluach has going for him is his size, listed at 7-foot-2, as well as his ability to be coached and developed after beginning his basketball career at a much older age.
ESPN’s NBA Draft expert Jonathan Givony watched a recent workout from Maluach as he prepares for the next level and said the Duke freshman “looks fantastic working out in the pre-draft process.”
“Moving and getting off the floor extremely well, and made significant gains with his skill-level, footwork and touch over the past year at Duke,” he added.
Projected top-10 pick Khaman Maluach looks fantastic working out in the pre-draft process. Moving and getting off the floor extremely well, and made significant gains with his skill-level, footwork and touch over the past year at Duke. pic.twitter.com/3KceZdt9NA
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 1, 2025
Khaman Maluach averaged 8.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per contest at Duke this season, shooting 71.2-percent from the floor (75.4-percent from inside the 3-point arc) and not missing a game this season.
Maluach was projected to be the No. 7 overall pick in Bleacher Report’s most recent NBA mock draft that saw five Blue Devils selected, headlined by Flagg at the top of the draft.
Kon Knueppel (No. 9), Tyrese Proctor (No. 38), and Sion James (No. 57) were the other players projected. Notably, Isaiah Evans and Cedric Coward were not among the forecasted draftees.
Duke’s three top prospects will have a better idea of where they can land in the NBA Draft when the league completes its Draft Lottery on Monday, May 12 prior to the start of the NBA Combine in Chicago.