Khaman Maluach Scouting Report
After a solid outing against Team USA before the Olympics, Maluach has shown he can play alongside the best in the world. But what will his role in the NBA eventually be? Find out below.
Maluach is seen as one of the top prospects in the 2025 NBA Draft. After putting up 7 points, and 3 rebounds on 3/6 shooting, he has shown he can play against the best of the world and still hold his own. He’s still raw in most areas, and that’s okay. Going to Duke will help him maximize his development in the ACC while playing alongside several other highly touted prospects.
The NBA Academy Africa graduate won MVP during Basketball Without Borders in 2023. While competing in the Basketball Africa League, the highest level of international competition in that continent, Maluach is getting valuable reps in preparation for the next stop in his journey to the NBA.
Physical Profile
At 7’2”, Maluach has a slim-looking frame. However, his 250 pounds are visible with good upper-body strength. With a plus-four-inch wingspan, he has the length to anchor a defense. While most slower-footed big men are limited to the paint, Maluach has the foot speed and mobility to stretch his defensive dominance to the perimeter.
In an NBA game that focuses more on four and five-out offenses, that’s the area where Maluach is highly touted. Therefore, production was less valuable in his evaluation, as the long-term potential to consistently guard multiple areas on the court will lessen the need for drop coverage of big men.
Maluach has fluid hips and moves naturally with good lateral quickness. He’s still growing into his body and thus looks overwhelmed at times playing physically against more experienced players. That’s an area the reader and NBA decision-makers need to contextualize when evaluating his physicality and toughness.
Defense
With Maluach’s ability to guard both the roll man and ball handler, his versatility in the pick-and-roll is one of the separators among his peers. He has an active approach to challenging ball handlers to attack him off the dribble while focusing on taking away the three-point shot. Compared to traditional drop-coverage big men, Maluach has no issues going over the screen, hard-hedging, or even blitzing ball handlers.
In the first possession below, Maluach does well in picking up the ball handler separating himself via the ball screen. He’s quick to set his feet while closing the driving lane, forcing the ball handler to quickly decide to either shift gears or use the space he has for the pull-up jumper. The second play is another example of how Maluach’s defensive footwork is making it easy for him to stay in front of ball handlers. He slides his feet well while aggressively using his pivot foot to both maintain his balance and force ball handlers to uncomfortably change the directions of their dribble.
Good pick-and-roll defenders result in the opponent’s having to adjust to the defense, rather than the opponent taking the lead and the defense replying to that. That’s commonly the purpose of drop coverage, outside of securing an interior presence.
Against roll men, Maluach has to grow into his still-developing frame. Despite his 250 pounds and toughness, he’s not ready to consistently battle physically with the more gifted NBA centers. That’s an area of focus at Duke. With the defensive three-second rule being non-existent in FIBA-organized games, Maluach doesn’t have the comfort to simply camp in the lane, as he’ll have to stay in continuous movement and thus might get caught by surprise, rather than the opponent’s coming to attack him on his territory.
In the third play below we see Maluach focus on the ball handler’s drive to the rim, leaving the roll man wide open from the midrange. Despite the open shot, that’s common to what he will have to do in the NBA, with the ball-handling guards and wings opposing a bigger scoring threat. In the last play below, we see an area of development for Maluach to focus on, being unnecessary jumps. He’s often caught by pump fakes or jab steps. That’s a common thing among young prospects, and will naturally improve via more reps where Maluach can train his decision-making.
Maluach’s strength and body control will be two vital factors in his potential NBA success. Despite the NBA making less use of post-up scorers, Maluach has an advantage as he faced physically more gifted centers when he played in the Basketball Africa League. The physicality and toughness on that level are comparable to NBA centers. Therefore, holding his own against that caliber of athletes says a lot about the tantalizing long-term potential Maluach has.
In the first play below, Maluach gives up ground in the post-up but compensates for it using his size and length. As mentioned earlier, the unnecessary jumps are an area of focus. With him still growing into his body, it’s not realistic to expect Maluach to dominate his opponents physically. His transfer to Duke is a good feasibility test, as the forwards and centers he’ll face are relying on their physicality and touch around the rim to score. Therefore, it’s likely that Maluach will defend more post-up scenarios to show NBA decision-makers the condition of his physical tools and toughness.
In the second possession below, Maluach looked too reactionary to the face-up scorer. He does well to use his length to close any scoring angles. However, he didn’t move his arms too much to bring the scorer out of balance or change the scoring angle the opponent was looking for. That’s an area of development for Maluach to focus on during his freshman season at Duke.
Considering the ability to guard multiple positions, Maluach will also be asked to play as a help-side defender. In the third play, he does well to immediately rotate after the entry pass to close the angles around the basket, while doubling the scorer, pushing him toward the baseline. Basic rotations as these are what Maluach has consistently shown throughout the season, thus making that a feasible outcome for this upcoming season. NBA decision-makers should also focus on how much Maluach is willing to do in terms of playing tough under the basket at all times. He looked too modest on the last play below, playing it safe to avoid fouls, rather than making the scorer earn his points via the charity stripe.
When defending against spot-up shooters, Maluach shows that he’s able to process the game at a consistent level. His degree of rotations is what makes the game easier for him. In the first play below, Maluach makes a good decision by not closing out on the shooter to avoid a dump-off pass to his rotation under the basket. The way he’s going to defensive box-out mode to ensure his team gets the rebound rounded out his good execution.
However, when looking at things Maluach shouldn’t do at all, the second possession is a good example. The jump to contest the shot while being about twenty feet away had no benefit. To ensure the longevity of his career and stay healthy, unnecessary pressure on his knees or ankles with jumps like this one are habits that Maluach needs to get rid of.
Another area of development is composure during closeouts. Considering his young age and the heat of the moment, his hard closeout in the third play is a natural outcome. However, he made it easy for the shooter to pump fake him into the sidelines before taking a sidestep and finding a much better shooting option above the break. For his young age, that’s not an issue at all. However, during his freshman year at Duke, it’s likely the coaching staff will help him to close out more effectively and with more composure.
The signs for improvement are there. The last play below shows that Maluach can be composed on closeouts while making good decisions. He’s ready to slide his feet while placing his pivot foot and arms well, making him less vulnerable to jab steps or fakes as the size and length advantage he has takes away the shooting angle.
Another vital area of impact for Maluach in the NBA is his ability to use his fluid hips and mobility to guard against cutters. An NBA decision-maker must take the different contexts of the defensive three-second rule into account. That makes evaluating his defense against cutters tougher because Maluach is mostly planted under the basket as the team’s de facto rim protector.
The first play below shows a combination of instincts and good execution of his reads. After rotating quickly, Maluach impacts the shot and defends his ground during the defensive box-out. With attempts from a few feet away from the basket are what NBA teams also look for, his impact as a rim protector is clear without the necessity of blocking shots. Deterring shots away from the basket is the type of impact an NBA decision-maker is looking for, comparable to the way Rudy Gobert operates as a rim protector as a part of his versatile defensive game.
In the second possession, we see Maluach showing his quick second jump after the first one led to the dump-off pass underneath the basket. Despite the two points, those are flashes that will serve him well once he’s improving his decision-making on his jumps. However, he’s not consistent with his second jumps yet, as shown in the third play below.
The base for getting better at defending cutters in the NBA is Maluach’s positioning. He has good awareness of both where opponents are located and where he’s exactly on the floor. He takes his duties as the rim protector and paint defender very seriously. I expect him to continue showing that at Duke. Adjusting to playing with a defensive three-second rule may take some time, therefore it is an important nuance to evaluating his overall defense throughout the season.
Offense
Acknowledging the context of NBA teams seeking big men who don’t rely on drop coverage while playing a four or five-out style of offense, rebounding usually becomes an issue. Therefore, Maluach’s area to impact a team’s offensive rating is his ability to crash the glass and pick up second-chance points. His lateral quickness and mobility make it more feasible that NBA coaches will ask him to focus on offensive rebounds, which carry the risk of teams being more vulnerable to transition offense, especially after three-point shots with long rebounds as an outcome.
The tantalizing defensive potential doesn’t translate to versatile offensive skill sets yet. Therefore, Maluach must find a way to keep a team’s offensive rating at par with his on the floor. Putbacks are one of his weapons. An area to work on is to be more composed when he’s attempting to put the ball back in. He has consistently shown that he’s too focused on scoring, where he’s forcing the issue more often than not.
With the shot clock resetting to 14 after an offensive rebound, Maluach needs to experiment with passing out of the post, rather than finishing through contact. His overall touch around the rim is decent at best, which is another area of focus to work on in his freshman year at Duke. The second play is an example of how it looks. Maluach passes on two wide-open shooters to finish against two opponents. In terms of decision-making, that’s not what NBA decision-makers like to see.
The first play below shows how it can look when having a true seven-footer with excellent rebounding feel and positioning as your offensive rebounder. That’s the best outcome for him, where he’s using his size advantage to finish the playoff. However, an important detail is that Maluach lowers the ball before the finish, which isn’t necessary. He’s strong enough to keep the ball high, comparable to the Gasol brothers. With excellent rebounders such as Dwight Howard and Andre Drummond having shown similar struggles throughout their career on that end, not lowering the ball is a must-have to be on an NBA floor early on in his career.
Maluach will serve as a ball-mover to fit into the NBA style of play. Ball movement is vital at the next level. Therefore showing improvement as a passer is what NBA decision-makers will be focusing on during his freshman season. He’s not a good passer, but when carefully looking at all of the offensive possessions with him as a passer, Maluach makes the correct reads but often struggles to execute them quickly.
At times, Maluach takes a few seconds too long to execute his reads or throws inaccurate passes. Both issues are for teams wanting to play at a high pace while keeping the ball moving. Considering his young age, that’s perfectly fine, as more reps will help him to improve as a passer. The feasibility test passes as the reads he’s making are good more often than not. The first play is an example of what the best outcome can look like. Maluach positions himself very well to slide closer to the baseline to open a passing angle in the middle before hitting the cutter. Those are reads that promise improvement when a 17-year-old does it like that.
Another promising factor is that Maluach uses his size very well in the second play. A feasibility test for further improvement is his composure. He stays calm while finding the angle for the entry pass. That’s what Maluach needs to consistently show to successfully fit into a modern NBA offense where he’s contributing to the offense from the perimeter. Using fake handoffs as angle-creators is another positive that Maluach should continue to do at the NBA level.
Passing out of the post was an area of development mentioned in the rebounding section. The third example shows an example of Maluach not having the same tunnel vision he has when he’s scoring. As a passer, he looks more composed, as the quick execution to the corner is what gives good flashes of him succeeding as a ball-mover in the NBA.
Maluach went a combined 18-for-55 in the last two seasons, making a good sample size for this three-point shooting limited. However, considering his young age, the numbers aren’t relevant at this stage. The process of coming to his jumper is what will determine his future success. A positive is that Maluach is expanding his range step by step, as he has taken midrange jumpers as well, as shown in the first and fourth plays below.
The ability to set his feet quickly is what stood out in that first play below. Quickly getting his shot off via movement at his size is what will excite an NBA decision-maker. Considering his mobility and lateral quickness while showing perimeter skills, Maluach has the tools to be a volume-shooting center who can anchor an interior defense. That’s a combination you’ll rarely see in the NBA, increasing his draft value.
In the second possession, we see Maluach bend his knees before the catch. Despite his pivot foot being placed quickly to launch the jumper, the process itself didn’t look good. With his size and strength, Maluach doesn’t need to power up for the jumper. The jumper ending in an airball isn’t relevant at this stage. The high-arcing release while fluidly moving up for the shot is a promising start to developing a consistent jumper that mechanically makes sense.
The third play below is one of the biggest shots Maluach has made in his life so far. Having one of the best NBA defenders close out on him is remarkable considering how composed Maluach was. He catches the ball at the level of his waist, while not bending his knees too much before the shot, showing a smooth release. His ability to knock shots down doesn’t make him a floor-spacer immediately, as the gravity of his shot isn’t enough respected yet considering the limited sample size. But this shot will have opposing college coaches talking about him in the locker room before giving out instructions on how to defend him on the perimeter.
NBA Draft Projection
For an NBA decision-maker, here are the above-mentioned areas summarized:
Strengths
Maluach has fluid hips and excellent mobility. His lateral quickness and footwork form the base for his ability to play impactful defense on the perimeter.
An excellent rebounder due to his size and feel for positioning. He’ll crash the offensive glass in the NBA, with his lateral quickness and overall speed being good enough for teams taking the risk of Maluach crashing the glass with the risk of transition offense from their opponents.
Promising shooter. His mechanics and release are fluid. While he sets his feet quickly, there are areas to work on. The limited sample size makes it not feasible how good his shot will eventually be. Therefore, his production as a shooter at Duke will be vital for his draft stock.
Areas of development
Maluach doesn’t look to pass out of the post when grabbing an offensive rebound. He has tunnel vision and forces his finishes often.
Has a bad habit of unnecessary jumps. That often leads to him bailing out the offense with easy dump-off passes or simply pump-faking their way to a clean look at the rim. Outside of the risks for the knees and ankles, Maluach makes this a risk for a team’s defensive rating.
Maluach lowers the ball to below his waist more often than not. He has the strength to keep the ball high after collecting offensive rebounds or passes as a spot-up shooter. However, he’s con
sistently lowering the ball to power back up, rather than keeping the ball high. That’s a risk for a team’s offensive rating, as Maluach is forced to finish through contact or get his points via free throws.
Based on the above-mentioned areas of development alongside the details in this scouting report, with the importance of his excellent fit to a modern four and five-out-styled NBA offense, I project Khaman Maluach to be a lock for the top ten in the 2025 NBA Draft.
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Great assessment!