Duke Basketball: Khaman Maluach’s Decision is Official
The Duke basketball program will be losing all five of its starters from last season. After a quiet offseason, with no updates from Khaman Maluach or the Duke social media team, the 7-foot-2, 250-pound South Sudan native has finally made his decision: he will enter the 2025 NBA Draft as a projected lottery pick, officially announcing his departure before the Saturday midnight deadline.
With this move, Maluach becomes the fourth player from the 2024-25 Duke roster—and the third freshman—from last season’s Final Four team to turn pro. He joins forward Cooper Flagg, guard Kon Knueppel, and junior guard Tyrese Proctor in opting to forgo their remaining college eligibility.
Maluach, who started all 39 games for Duke last season, averaged 8.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in 21.2 minutes per game, shooting an impressive 71.2% from the field and 76.6% from the free-throw line.
With his decision, Coach Jon Scheyer will now be without all five of his starters from last season’s standout team. Additionally, the fifth starter from last season, graduate guard Sion James, has also finished his eligibility as a one-year transfer.
On the bright side, Duke will bring back nearly all of its bench rotation and is set to welcome three five-star recruits into the fold for the upcoming season.
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