The buzz around Maluach is only going to grow, yet he’s still very raw.
On Wednesday, Khaman Maluach signed with Duke Basketball.
Duke coach Jon Scheyer said this about Maluach:
“I’m very excited to welcome Khaman Maluach to Duke. Khaman joins us from South Sudan and NBA Academy Africa, bringing a fresh perspective and talent to our curriculum.
“At 7’2, Khaman can score inside and out, handle the ball, and protect the rim to a great degree. When I watched him throughout the recruiting process, I noticed his outspoken leadership, energy and enthusiasm on the field, and devotion to winning over individual statistics.
“We are anxious to get to work with Khaman after he competes in the Olympics this summer with (former Duke player) Luol Deng and the South Sudanese National Team.”
He’s recently earned comparisons to Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers, which have been complimentary. There’s no assurance that his progress will continue at the same pace, but Joe Touomou of NBA Academy Africa claims Maluach is “10 times better” than Embiid was at the same age.
Freshmen often attend summer school on campus, but Maluach will not be able to do so due to foreign duties. Deng will undoubtedly provide Scheyer with valuable information since he spends a significant amount of time with the South Sudanese team.
Big guys come and go, of course. This is the nature of college basketball.
Kyle Filipowski, Maluach’s predecessor, is leaving to join the NBA. He just took a vacation to take his fiancee, Caitlin Hutchinson, to Disney World.
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