After dislocating his left shoulder during a road victory over Virginia in mid-February, Maliq Brown made a comeback a few weeks later, but two games into his comeback, he played again in the Sweet 16 and the 2024–25 Blue Devils’ run to the Final Four.
When healthy, the long-limbed Brown’s defensive efforts on the floor were a deadly X-factor for Jon Scheyer’s 35-win Duke team during the whole season. Additionally, Brown, 21, who came to Durham through the transfer portal last year after leading the ACC in thefts (71) as a sophomore at Syracuse, is expected to have a greater impact during Scheyer’s fourth season as head coach.
In light of this, it is obvious how critical it is that he recover from the shoulder issues noted earlier.
Brown gave an update on his efforts to return to full strength this offseason a few minutes into his conversation with Blue Devil junior guard Caleb Foster on this week’s episode of The Brotherhood Podcast:
“We’ve been here all summer, and I’m feeling great. I’ve been attacking every day, recovering, and playing as much as I can. [I’m] simply trying to add something new every day, especially every week, whether it’s on the court or in the addiction treatment center.
It’s nice to be back in the weight room, man. Simply being able to get some curls or at least put some weight on the bars makes me feel like a different man than when I was just watching you all. Being a member of the team is now more important. Additionally, it feels better.
In 26 games last season, Brown, who was selected to the 2023–24 Orange’s All-ACC Defensive Team, averaged just 2.5 points and 3.7 rebounds. However, the 6-foot-9, 225-pound player, who has a wingspan of more than seven feet, led the dynamic Duke basketball rotation in steals per 40 minutes by a significant margin. His 3.2 per 40 nearly doubled Cooper Flagg’s 1.8, who came in second on the list.
During their 30-minute meeting, Foster remarked of Brown, “He’s by far the best defender I’ve played with, or really seen with my own eyes…”