Khaman Maluach could be the best center in the 2025 NBA Draft, and the RAW outlook has all the tools to succeed.
On paper, the 2024-25 Duke Blue Devils had one of the best recruiting classes ever. Cooper Flag, Kaman Mallach, Kon Knoupel and Isaiah Evans are all five-star recruits, and starters – Flag, Mallach and Knoupel are all expected to be the top 10 picks in the 2025 NBA Draft.
With Flaggg being the top pick of the consensus, Maluach and Knueppel are not bad consolation prizes for teams who slipped into the draft lottery. Marauch has only played basketball for five years, but is a potential client at an elite center with the potential to take over the NBA.
Under his belt with the ACC’s all-new and all-tournament nods, Marauch continues to improve towards the insanity of March, solidifying his rivalry with Derrick Queen to win the best-big title in the 2025 draft class.
- Age/Date of Birth: 18 (September 14, 2006)
- Nationality: South Sudan
- Height/Weight: 7ft 2, 250lbs
- University: Duke Blue Devils
- Career Statistics: 8.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 1.3 blocks, 71.2 FG%, 25.0 3pt%
- NCAA Tournament Statistics: 10.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 1.8 blocks, 84.0 FG%, 100.0 3pt%
- Career highest: 19 points (vs. Notre Dame), 15 rebounds (vs. Miami FL), 3 assists (vs. California)
- NBA comparison: Joel Embiid (probably)
Marach appears to have grown up soccer. He is mobile, has excellent footwork and can become delicate and powerful with paint.
His length and size indicate that he is a high-level defender at least in paint, and the combination of him and Cooper Flag Download Limit Drive is why his block count is the least impressive.
He is able to defend his pick and roll pretty well thanks to his mobility and size, and he is able to do decent (but great) work around. Fans shouldn’t expect him to win the DPOTY award, but expect him to be used in a more versatile role than Walker Kessler in defense.
His most impressive statistic is the 72.1% mark from the floor. The smaller defender humiliates with thunderous dunks, and even the talented, massive defender struggles to protect his post movements and his soft touch around the edges when he doesn’t rattle the dunks home.
He has an NBA frame, but he didn’t start playing basketball until he was 13, so he’s still very raw, especially as the creator of offense. Don’t expect the offense to run through him like Domantas Sabonis or Nikola Djokic, he will be a much more scoring threat.
He can also get out of his position on rebound, but uses his size to make up for it. In his first few seasons he may struggle with average 10 rebounds, which is odd for a 7-foot-2 player, but he should settle down well.
He plays a solid role because he doesn’t have skills that are often overlooked. He will become a star or devour himself, but his international experience playing for South Sudan suggests he is completely bought.
In 2017-18 Joel Embiid’s first full season, he averaged 22.9 points, 11 assists and 1.8 blocks. Expect Mallach to play a similar role as the younger Embayed. Handle the ball, space it out on the floor (Embiid is 30.8% from deep), and a solid defender is lower.
Malauch will not win an MVP award or scoring title, but he will join the league with similar skills as the younger Embiid. It’s just a matter of whether he can make the most of it.
The Toronto Raptors are clearly lacking long-term solutions at the centre. Jakob Poeltl will not survive the reconstruction.
The Charlotte Hornets attempted to replace Mark Williams, and Mallach fills the needs position.
The oversized lineup of Toronto’s Maluach, RJ Barrett and Scottie Barnes sounds difficult to beat, but the Chicago Bulls are perfect. With Josh Giddy and Lonzo Ball, assuming he is not traded and he will return to health, lowering Mallach and the Bulls will be able to make the most of him offensively.
The Bulls have a 23rd place defense, and Mallach quickly makes a clear upgrade to Nikola Vicevic on the edge of the floor. Adding Mallach allows Chicago to either deliberately trade veteran centers or adopt twin-up frontcoats with true floor space and bruisers lowered. The options are there and Matas Buzelis is ready to take the next step, and Malach could be a missing piece.