Duke basketball: Khaman Maluach quiet in historic Olympic victory

Duke basketball fans either had an early start to their Sunday or a late finish to their Saturday night in order to watch freshman Khaman Maluach make his Olympic debut with South Sudan.

In the first ever game by the country in the Olympics, the 7-foot-2 center came off the bench and saw limited action, playing just six minutes while scoring two points and recording two rebounds.

Maluach made an immediate impact in the game, making a layup as soon as he checked in while his only other shot attempt in the 90-79 victory over Puerto Rico was a 3-pointer that was off target.

The Duke rookie made his introduction to the world earlier in the month during an exhibition game against Team USA in which he logged 12 minutes and posted seven points, three rebounds, and a block in a thrilling 101-100 loss to the Americans.

Khaman Maluach helped South Sudan qualify for the Olympics as the nation finished with the best record among all African teams during the 2023 FIBA World Cup. He was the youngest player on the roster.

Maluach was originally a member of the 2025 recruiting class before reclassifying to the 2024 prospects and eventually committing to Duke, further solidifying the country's top ranked recruiting class headlined by Cooper Flagg.

He was invited to participate in South Sudan's training camp before earning a roster spot as chosen by Luol Deng, a former Duke basketball standout and current head of the South Sudan Basketball Federation.

It remains to be see in Khaman Maluach will have a bigger role for his team later in the Olympics, but South Sudan will return to the court against Team USA for its second contest of Group C play on Wednesday, July 31 (3:00 p.m. ET, USA) looking to secure a berth in the knockout round with a victory.