Khaman Maluach already looks like he belongs.
The 17-year-old center for South Sudan played tough against Team USA in an Olympic tune-up game on Saturday. A five-star Duke signee, Maluach didn't back down from the physical nature of the game and showed excellent movement in a brief first half appearance. He looked like the real deal.
As South Sudan took a shocking 58-44 halftime lead, Maluach played five minutes, scored four points, and added a block. He also threw down an emphatic dunk.
Not many 17 year-olds are spending their summer doing this 🫡👀@khaman_maluach pic.twitter.com/WSs9GwoXpO
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) July 20, 2024
He also stripped a ball from Anthony Davis and hit a sweet jumper over Joel Embiid.
Amazing rip-through jab by Khaman
— BKS (@BKSecretsports) July 20, 2024
Maluach.
Enough space to get Embiid to step back for the FT-line middy. https://t.co/p6hTwdhSGc pic.twitter.com/NxjeatdlE7
Maluach is a 7'2" center who is listed at 250 pounds but moves easily around the floor. He's a consensus top-10 recruit in the 2024 class and was listed at No. 4 by 247Sports. He'll be playing for Duke this season along with fellow top recruits Cooper Flagg, Isaiah Evans and Kon Knueppel. Coach Jon Scheyer's squad should be loaded.
Maluach is already considered one of the top players in the 2025 NBA Draft class and watching him play, even briefly, on Saturday showed why.
Team USA will face South Sudan again on Wednesday, July 31 during group play at the Olympics.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Duke's Khaman Maluach Impresses for South Sudan Against Team USA.
