Over the past few seasons, Duke has featured three of its most towering big men in recent memory—and by big, we mean really big. That doesn’t include someone like Elton Brand, who was excellent but stood “only” 6-foot-9.
Mark Williams and Dereck Lively each measured 7-foot-1, and this year’s standout, Khaman Maluach, comes in at 7-foot-2—tying Marty Nessley as the tallest player in Duke history.
Maluach, recently profiled by The Duke Chronicle, had a remarkable season.
He arrived in Durham still fairly new to the sport, having picked it up at age 13 as a Sudanese refugee living in Uganda. He did represent South Sudan in the Olympics last summer and held his own, but he was still developing as a complete player.
He’s not quite the finished product yet, but his growth this season was rapid. As Jon Scheyer told The Chronicle: “To find a 7-foot-2 guy that has the motor that he has… He can guard one through five. I think he’s shown that now with his switching while still protecting the rim. I think his rebounding has really progressed, and I think his offensive stuff is going to keep getting better.”
What stands out most about Maluach’s year is how quickly he progressed. Despite coming to the sport later than most and only spending about a year playing in the U.S., he’s made huge strides—and keeps improving.
He’s quickly become one of our all-time favorite Blue Devils.