Just-In: Top experienced center has announced his commitment to Duke

Maliq Brown, a former Syracuse forward/center/big man, announced his commitment to Duke on Sunday. What does he contribute to the program?

First and foremost, experience. Brown, a rising junior, has a lot to give this young club. He was an All-ACC defender. Cooper Flagg is anticipated to be a great defender, but he is still a freshman and has a lot to learn. Brown had already learned the most of them.

Brown can also play center and can either back up Khaman Maluach or start in his place if Maluach isn’t ready or has problems for any reason (mainly injury, but potentially others).

This is even better if Patrick Ngongba is remains sidelined this autumn owing to a foot ailment sustained earlier this season.

Brown isn’t very gifted offensively, but he is efficient, making over 70% of his attempts last season. We’ll have to see how this plays out, but because he’ll largely be scoring around the basket, Flagg may be able to wander on offense and, to borrow/paraphrase what Shane Battier said Mike Krzyzewski taught him to do on defense, Flagg may be able to simply “do things.”

 

 

This is also crucial, and should not be overlooked.

Flagg and Maluach are both anticipated to be strong defenders, but neither is particularly powerful at the moment. Maluach is catching up in numerous ways. He’ll be a totally different player after 12-24 months of weight training, but it won’t happen overnight, and certainly not by November. Flagg’s body is that of a 17-year-old, despite his promising abilities.

If all Brown does – and we believe he can do more – is defend, rebound, and confront basketball bullies, he’s an excellent acquisition.

If you want a (very) approximate analogy, consider Theo John, who came from Marquette. He was an excellent player to bring in off the bench to replace Mark Williams. Brown will probably cost more than that  for next year’s Duke team.